Natalie Portman joins critics of call to boycott Israeli director

Hollywood star Natalie Portman added her voice to the many critics of film directors set to attend a French festival next month who pressured an Israeli colleague to drop out of the event.

Portman, who is Jewish and was born in Israel, addressed the issue in an op-ed that Le Monde published on Tuesday, and which she co-authored with several French film industry figures, including French directors Justine Triet and Jacques Audiard.

In it, they criticized the open letter from last week of several directors from Arab countries, who said they would boycott the FID Marseille film festival next week...