Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors of the film “No Other Land” from Palestine, wrote a frank article in The New York Times, sharing the harsh reality of his life in the West Bank following a recent attack: “Even though our movie was awarded an Oscar, our lives remain as they were before.
Three individuals associated with an Academy Award-winning documentary, including its co-director Ballal, Khaled Mohammad Shanran, and Nasser Shreteh, were physically attacked and taken into custody towards the end of March. The other co-director of the film, Yuval Abraham (an Israeli creative), reported that Ballal suffered injuries to his head and stomach, with visible bleeding, following an attack by a group of settlers in his hometown of Susiya.
Upon my beloved artist, Ballal, not receiving an endorsement from the Academy following his Oscar victory, as per Abraham’s account, they promptly apologized. In a subsequent statement, they clearly expressed their disdain for stifling free speech under any conditions whatsoever.
On March 24th, Ballal recounted his harrowing experience in his own words. He explained that during a typical evening, he was suddenly faced with a group of men at his home and felt certain that he and his wife were about to be killed that night. “It’s hard for me to talk about this moment now,” Ballal wrote in the piece published on Friday. “After I was assaulted, I was handcuffed, covered my eyes with a blindfold, and was thrown into an army jeep. For hours, I remained lying on the ground, blindfolded, on what I later discovered was an army base, terrified that I would be held for a long time and beaten again and again. I was eventually released the next day.
The filmmaker expressed that receiving an Oscar just three weeks prior had been “an incredibly memorable experience” for him. He explained: “I got a glimpse of power and potential… Los Angeles and the Oscars were like a completely different universe compared to what I was used to. I was amazed by the towering buildings, the fast-moving cars, and the wealth that surrounded me everywhere. And then, there we were – my three fellow directors and I – standing on one of the world’s most prominent stages, accepting the award.
Despite earning global acclaim for the film, Ballal admits that he believes his group fell short in their aim to improve life for their community. He expressed, “My life remains under the control of settlers and the occupation, and my community continues to endure relentless violence.” Regrettably, he added, “Our movie won an Oscar, but our lives are no different from before.
Ballal stated that the attack on him and his community was “severely violent,” and went on to explain that similar incidents happen often in the area. He then detailed an event from just a few days prior, where a large group of settlers (many wearing masks) attacked Jinba, a neighboring village. This resulted in five individuals being hospitalized and over twenty arrests. Later, the army invaded the village, searching homes, the mosque, and the school.
After gaining public attention due to the Oscar win, Ballal concludes his op-ed by appealing to the audience not to disregard the violence in Susiya and beyond. “I am aware that many thousands of people now recognize my name and my tale, as well as that of my community and our history. Don’t distance yourself from us now.
In its statement following the incident, the IDF provided an alternate account of events, claiming that the violence erupted after several individuals, identified as terrorists, threw rocks at Israeli civilians, causing damage to their vehicles. Subsequently, both parties exchanged rock-throwing actions, and upon arrival at the scene by IDF and Israeli police forces, more terrorists reportedly began pelting rocks at the security personnel. It was mutually acknowledged that three Palestinians were apprehended in the ensuing chaos.
“In No Other Land,” a film that portrays the blossoming friendship between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist, was skillfully directed by a team of four filmmakers; two hailing from Israel, and the other two from Palestine. This heartfelt production was honored with the Best Documentary award at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2nd.
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2025-04-25 16:55