No Other Land

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One of the directors of the movie “No Other Land“, Hamdan Ballal, has penned a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and he’s not the only one voicing concern, as he has backing from prominent Hollywood stars. On March 24th, Ballal, who is also a co-director of the Oscar-winning Best Documentary Feature film “No Other Land”, was attacked by Israeli settlers, subsequently detained near his home by the Israeli military. After enduring 24 hours in captivity, during which he was blindfolded and held at an Israeli army base, fearing for his life, Ballal was eventually released.

Yuval Abraham, one of the four co-directors of the film “No Other Land”, expressed criticism towards the Academy for not supporting Hamdan after his arrest. It wasn’t until he publicly criticized the Academy leadership that they issued an open letter to their voters. According to Deadline, the Academy’s letter stated they are against any actions that harm or suppress artists due to their work or viewpoints. However, they emphasized that as a diverse organization with over 11,000 members from around the world, they do not want to take a firm stance on every issue because of the varying perspectives among their members.

Yuval Abraham expressed his discontent on X, pointing out that they failed to mention Hamdan Ballal by name, in stark contrast to their public support for Iranian director Jafar Panahi during his 2010 detainment by the Iranian government. A screenshot of Abraham’s post can be found below.

Following our critique, the academy’s heads communicated via email to members about their previous silence on Hamdan’s attack, stating that they must consider and value diverse perspectives.

In contrast to my own stance on this matter, which didn’t specifically mention Hamdan, I find the Academy’s firm position, standing against the oppression of filmmakers by the Iranian government, to be particularly commendable.

I subsequently came across an open letter penned by numerous Academy members that took issue with the perceived silence of AMPAS leadership regarding Ballal’s situation, as detailed in Variety. Over 500 individuals put their names to this letter, among them esteemed actors like Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Riz Ahmed, Penélope Cruz, Emma Thompson, Natasha Lyonne, Javier Bardem, Sandra Hüller, Olivia Coleman, Richard Gere, Andrea Riseborough, and Joaquin Phoenix. Notable filmmakers such as Ava DuVernay, Boots Riley, Jim Jarmusch, Jonathan Glazer, Todd Haynes, and Adam McKay were also signatories. The letter expressed:

“We are deeply troubled by the silence of the AMPAS leadership in the face of Ballal’s situation. We stand with Ballal and call on the Academy to take immediate action to address this issue.

We strongly oppose the violent attack and illegal imprisonment of Academy Award-winning Palestinian director, Hamdan Ballal, by settlers and Israeli troops in the West Bank. Winning an Oscar is no simple feat, as films often gain traction through widespread distribution and costly promotional campaigns… The fact that ‘No Other Land’ won an Oscar without these resources demonstrates its profound impact on the voting body. Attacking Ballal isn’t merely a strike against one filmmaker; it’s a strike against everyone who dares to document and share uncomfortable truths.

‘No Other Land’ Has Faced Support and Backlash

In contrast to the usual acclaim and benefits that follow an Academy Award win, the victors of the most recent award for “No Other Land” have not experienced these privileges. Surprisingly, a successful Oscar-winning film like “No Other Land” has yet to secure distribution by any studio in full.

The dismissal of stars such as Melissa Berrara from Scream VII over her pro-Palestine comments being misconstrued as anti-Semitic, and Rachel Zegler facing criticism for expressing similar sentiments prior to Snow White, alongside the Academy’s letter not acknowledging Ballal’s case, paints a bleak image. However, it is worth noting that many prominent figures within the Academy, who are some of the biggest movie stars and directors in the industry, have signed an open letter in support of Ballal and the Palestinian people. This suggests that while the Academy leadership may be neglecting him, at least some of his peers are standing by his side.

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2025-03-29 21:07