Movies

‘No Other Land’ directors aren’t the only Oscar winners dismayed by ‘indefensible’ academy response

BBG News

Many individuals, including the co-directors of “No Other Land,” who are from Israel and Palestine, share a sense of dismay over the film academy’s seemingly insufficient reaction to the recent arrest and detention of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal.

A letter, signed by 600 members of the Motion Picture Academy (with several past Oscar winners among them), criticized the Oscars’ management team, stating that they failed to meet the expectations of the current moment. The letter, obtained on Friday by The Times, expresses disappointment with the vague message the academy sent to its members earlier this week.

Entertainment & Arts

According to Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist and director of the movie ‘No Other Land’, the organization responsible for the Oscars did not feel it necessary to address a recent incident involving his co-director Hamdan Ballal.

As a cinema enthusiast, I read with interest the statement issued on Wednesday by the Academy’s Chief Executive Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang. They clarified that they were speaking on behalf of the Academy in response to recent social, political, and economic events, emphasizing that the Academy encompasses nearly 11,000 global members with diverse perspectives. The leaders made it clear that the Academy unequivocally condemns any actions that infringe upon or silence artists for their work or viewpoints. However, they did not explicitly refer to the film “No Other Land” or its co-director Ballal, who was detained following a brutal attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, a co-director of “No Other Land” with Ballal, shared the entire message on Twitter early Thursday and reinforced his prior criticisms about the academy’s lack of response. He denounced the academy for connecting its “inaction in response to Hamdan’s attack” to their supposed “respect for diverse perspectives.

In a strongly worded letter sent out on Friday, numerous members from different sectors of the academy – such as documentary filmmakers, actors, editors, and producers – expressed solidarity with their shared perspective: “We collectively denounce the violent attack and illegal detention of Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli authorities in the West Bank.

The letter went on: “As creators, we rely on our capacity to narrate stories without facing backlash. Documentary filmmakers frequently take on great perils to shed light on global issues. It’s unjustifiable for an organization to honor a film with an award in the first week of March, and then neglect to protect its filmmakers less than a month later.

Entertainment & Arts

Filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, creator of the ‘No Other Land’ documentary about Palestine, has been released from custody, just under twenty-four hours after Israeli security personnel apprehended him in the wake of an aggressive assault by settlers.

As a movie enthusiast, I recently found myself captivated by the powerful documentary “No Other Land.” This film, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature earlier this month, accomplished this feat without the usual advantages that come with a distributor’s backing.

Unfortunately, the tranquility of the film’s production was shattered when Monday saw yet another settler attack on Ballal’s village of Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area. This assault, as the letter penned by concerned individuals rightly points out, is not just an attack on Ballal and his community, but a direct strike against all those who dare to witness and share uncomfortable truths.

The message ended with: “We’ll keep a close eye on this movie crew. With their recent Oscar win, their safety becomes more vital, and we won’t hesitate to speak up when artist safety is involved.

In this version,

Olivia Colman, Riz Ahmed, Joaquin Phoenix, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Susan Sarandon, along with filmmaker Jonathan Glazer of the movie “Zone of Interest,” were among those who added their names to an Oscar-winning petition. On Friday, The Times discovered that a group of Academy members concerned about the matter had circulated this letter among their peers, encouraging them to join the cause. Furthermore, The Times found out that the team responsible for maintaining and updating the letter has confirmed and verified the identities of those who signed it.

A representative for the academy did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

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The documentary, which was nominated for an Academy Award, was created by a collaborative group of Palestinian and Israeli activist filmmakers. It provides a glimpse into daily life in a tiny West Bank village under military control.

On Monday evening, Israeli authorities apprehended Ballal following an incident where a crowd of settlers invaded the Palestinian village of Susiya, occurring during the villagers’ Ramadan fast-breaking. As reported by the Associated Press, Ballal’s wife, Lamia Ballal, disclosed that she heard her husband being assaulted outside their home and crying out, “I’m dying.” She added that she witnessed three uniformed individuals using the butt ends of their rifles. The increased attention surrounding the Oscar-winning film “No Other Land” allegedly led settlers to intensify their attacks against the Ballal family.

Earlier this week, an IDF representative issued a statement describing an altercation as a back-and-forth exchange of stones between Palestinians and Israelis, labeling those implicated as “terrorists” for hurling rocks at Israeli soldiers and police. Ballal is among three Palestinian men who have been taken into custody over the incident, while an Israeli suspected in the same incident was also apprehended.

On Tuesday, Ballal was freed from an Israeli police station, sporting bruises on his face and bloodstains on his attire. Upon release, he shared with the Associated Press that during his confinement, he overheard soldiers mocking him. Later, speaking to The Guardian, he explained that the attack on Monday was a reprisal for the movie his group had produced.

Just this past month, I was deeply moved by the recognition given at the Oscars to “No Other Land,” a powerful documentary co-created by Ballal, Abraham, Basel Adra (a Palestinian activist), and Rachel Szor (an Israeli filmmaker). This compelling piece offers a heart-wrenching portrayal of the destruction of Masafer Yatta’s Palestinian villages for the purpose of constructing Israeli military training grounds, resulting in the forced displacement of these communities.

Word got around when Deadline announced that the academy’s governing body met on Friday morning to discuss the uproar about their handling of the recent controversy, as reported in the news.

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2025-03-29 02:01

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