The Tribeca Festival has issued a strong condemnation regarding offensive jokes made on the red carpet of “The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan)” by comedian Elon Gold and influencer Lizzy Savetsky. The festival labeled the comments, which mocked the rape of Palestinians, as “offensive and unacceptable” following widespread social media outrage over a clip of the exchange.

The controversial footage showed Gold, who stars in the film, noting that “The Wedding Entertainer” was filmed in Israel. He then stated to Savetsky, “I was only raped by two Israeli dogs,” to which Savetsky responded, “I thought they only raped Palestinians.” This dialogue quickly drew severe criticism and outrage across various online platforms.

In its official statement, the Tribeca Festival emphasized that “Sexual violence and human suffering should never be mocked or minimized.” The festival clarified that these comments do not reflect its core values and expressed regret for the hurt and offense they have caused. The festival also noted that it had been unable to contact the filmmakers for their response, and a spokesperson for the film did not immediately comment on the situation.

“The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan)” features Elon Gold as a down-on-his-luck Hasidic Jewish comedian who needs to secure one final gig to raise $20,000 for his daughter’s wedding. The film was directed and co-written by Gidi Dar. It was also clarified that Lizzy Savetsky does not appear in the film and was not credentialed by the Tribeca Festival; rather, she was invited to the premiere by the film team itself.

Currently in its 25th year, the Tribeca Festival was originally established in the aftermath of 9/11 with the aim of revitalizing lower Manhattan. Since its inception, the festival has significantly grown, expanding its events across all of New York City’s boroughs. This year’s festival commenced with the premiere of “Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That’s the Weight of the World),” a new documentary from acclaimed artist Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.