President Reuven Rivlin and Culture Minister Miri Regev congratulated Israeli director Guy Nattiv on Monday for his win at the Academy Awards on Sunday evening in Los Angeles.
Nattiv took home the win for the best live action short film for Skin, an English-language bio-drama set in the United States, about a skinhead who ends up rejecting racial hatred.
“Congratulations to Guy Nattiv on his Oscar win for the best short film,” Rivlin said. “All of the good words on ‘Skin’ are for you, for Sharon and for Jamie Ray, but the film is a gift for our children and grandchildren, and for the future that we want for them so they can fulfill their dreams. A big pride for Israel. Mazel tov!”
Regev also congratulated Nattiv, saying she was thrilled to wake up to the news.
“This win is another story of the success of Israeli cinema,” said Regev. “Nattiv, the son of Holocaust survivors. Nattiv’s win, for a film about hatred and racism, is an important cinematic chapter in the uncompromising struggle against those who choose racism as their way of life. I congratulate Guy and all those who were partners in his film.” Regev added that she would be thrilled if he would “return to Israel to make your next film!”
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman offered his best wishes to Nattiv, and lauded him for “waving a red flag with his film in front of the troubling growth of antisemitism in the world. It is more food for thought for Jews around the world, that only Israel is their real home.”
Irit, Nattiv’s mother, told Army Radio on Monday morning that she always knew he would win.
“The whole family believed he would win,” she said. “Nobody thought he would make it to the top five [nominations], but deep in our hearts we knew. At the moment of the announcement we exploded with happiness.”
Actress Olivia Munn also congratulated the winning couple on Twitter.
“Bravery runs through her veins,” wrote Munn. “So happy for Jamie Ray Newman and Guy Nattiv.” Munn included the hashtag “#SilenceBreaker” in her tweet.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein offered his warm congratulations to Nattiv, adding: “we’re all so excited for you and with you. Serious pride.”
Newman and Munn were among the women last year who accused director and producer Brett Ratner of sexual harassment and assault.