Miami theater will fight mayor's proposed eviction over "No Other Land" screening

The latest: O Cinema's co-founder and board chair tells Axios the nonprofit is willing to "take whatever avenues" necessary to remain in South Beach.

• "We are hoping to engage in a thoughtful conversation with our mayor and elected officials" before a planned vote next week, Kareem Tabsch told Axios Thursday evening.
• But the organization is prepared to protect its freedom of expression and its right to exist, he said.

Catch up quick: Meiner proposed evicting O Cinema and pulling about $40,000 in city grants after the theater resisted his demands to stop showing the documentary, which he called "a one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people," the Miami Herald reported.

• O Cinema CEO Vivian Marthell originally told Meiner she would cancel screenings of the film, citing "the concerns of antisemitic rhetoric."
• But she reversed course and moved forward with the screenings, which sold out throughout the weekend.

Marthell later told the Herald the theater's position, reiterated to audiences prior to each screening, is that O Cinema's presenting of the film is "not a declaration of political alignment" but a "bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard, even, and perhaps especially, when it challenges us."

• Marthell has reiterated O Cinema's "long history" of supporting Jewish films.

What they're saying: Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, tell Axios the mayor's retaliation against O Cinema is unconstitutional.

• "The government does not get to pick and choose which viewpoints the public is allowed to hear, however controversial some might find them," Daniel Tilley, legal director of the ACLU of Florida, said in a statement.
• Alan Levine, a constitutional lawyer and South Florida Jewish Voice for Peace member, says the city historically welcomed dissenting points of view. Now, "the mayor is sending a message that, at least with respect to Israel and Palestine, the city will do what it can to suppress opposing ideas," he said.

Tabsch said the city's interference in O Cinema's artistic expression could be a slippery slope for future arts events and even global attractions, such as Art Basel.

• "It could start with O Cinema. When does it go to an [exhibit at] Art Basel and what are the impacts of that?"

The intrigue: Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez sent an email to residents Wednesday arguing "the answer to propaganda is not censorship, it's truth."

• She bashed "No Other Land" as misinformation but instead of terminating its lease, she proposed calling on the theater to screen the documentary "Screams Before Silence" about the sexual violence of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
• "Knee jerk reactions that threaten its future will lead to costly legal battles that waste taxpayer dollars," she wrote.

Flashback: This isn't the first time the city has cracked down on artistic expression it disagrees with.

• In 2019, the city removed a portrait of Raymond Herissee, a Black man who was fatally shot by Beach police in 2011, from a city art project after the city manager said it was "potentially divisive."
• The city, which was sued by ACLU Florida on free speech grounds, prevailed after an appeals court ruled the city owned the art and ran the exhibit, and thus had control over its content.

Meanwhile, Coral Gables Art Cinema — which is also housed in a government-owned building — announced Monday it would be screening the documentary this weekend, beginning Friday.

• The cinema told Axios its screening "is not an implicit endorsement of the subject matter or content."

What's next: The ACLU of Florida says it's "closely monitoring this issue and remains committed to ensuring that a variety of voices on issues important to Miami Beach residents can continue to be heard."

• The City Commission meets Wednesday at 8:30am, and Mayor Meiner will hold a regularly scheduled virtual town hall Tuesday at 5:30pm.