600 Oscar voters criticize lack of Academy support for Palestinian filmmaker detained by Israel
Over 600 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have signed an open letter criticizing the Academy for their lack of public support for Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary. 'No Other Land,' following his recent detainment by Israeli authorities.
Yuval Abraham, Ballal's co-director, announced on X on Monday that Ballal was beaten by West Bank settlers and then arrested by Israeli forces. He sustained injuries to his head and stomach in the Palestinian village of Susiya, Masafer Yatta.
Ballal was released by Israeli forces on Tuesday.
According to Academy members, the organization sent a statement to on Wednesday with the subject line 'Our Global Film Community.'
'Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events,' the Academy said. 'In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.'
'We are, however, united in a shared belief in the importance of storytelling, in the value of empathy, and in the role of film as a catalyst,' the organization added.
But many members believe the statement from leadership 'failed to mention either Ballal or the film by name, nor did it describe the events it was responding to."
"The statement by Bill Kramer and Janet Yang fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for," the statement read. "Therefore we are issuing our own statement, which speaks for the undersigned members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."
As of Friday, the open letter has reached 633 signatures. Some members who have signed the letter as of Friday include Mark Ruffalo, Sandra Oh, Ava DuVernay, Penélope Cruz, Alfonso Cuaron, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix.
Members shared an additional statement condemning the assault and detention of Ballal, as well as the Academy's lack of action.
"We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank," the letter read.
"It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later," the letter added.
Members praised the film, which won 'Best Documentary' feature at this year's awards, for its impact and achievement despite not having the same resources as films with a wider distribution.
"For 'No Other Land' to win an Oscar without these advantages speaks to how important the film is to the voting membership," members said. "The targeting of Ballal is not just an attack on one filmmaker—it is an attack on all those who dare to bear witness and tell inconvenient truths."
The Academy did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Angelina Jolie Will Opt for 'Intimate' 50th Birthday Celebration with Family After 'Rough' Past Decade (Exclusive Source)
A source close to Angelina Jolie tells PEOPLE that the actress "doesn't want a big party" to celebrate her 50th birthday on June 4 "She prefers a more intimate celebration with her kids," the source adds Jolie, who recently appeared at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, "is embracing the idea of turning 50 and feels more grounded than ever" ahead of her birthday, according to a separate insiderAngelina Jolie just turned 50, but don't expect her to throw a major party to celebrate. A source close to Jolie, who reached her milestone birthday on June 4, tells PEOPLE that while the Oscar winner "seems genuinely excited and happy about turning 50," she "doesn't want a big party." Instead, the insider says the Maria actress will opt for "a more intimate celebration" with her six children: Maddox, 23; Pax, 21; Zahara, 20; Shiloh, 18; Knox, 16 and Vivienne, also 16. "So much of her 40s were rough. She's in a much better place now," the source continues of Jolie, who reached a divorce settlement with ex Brad Pitt in December 2024 after an eight-year legal battle. "The kids are amazing and thriving. There is less family drama." Jolie stepped back into movies in 2024 with her Maria Callas biopic on Netflix, which marked her first acting role since she starred in 2021's Those Who Wish Me Dead and Marvel's Eternals. Last year, she also debuted her first movie as a director since 2017, Without Blood, which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her sons Maddox and Pax worked on the movie's set, and Salma Hayek Pinault starred. The prominent humanitarian also won her first Tony Award in 2024 for producing the new musical The Outsiders. Her daughter Vivienne worked as a volunteer assistant on the production. A separate insider tells PEOPLE that Jolie "is embracing the idea of turning 50 and feels more grounded than ever" on her birthday. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "She's not shying away from getting older, in fact she's leaning into it," that source says. "Angie sees aging in a really positive light especially after losing her mom so young. She feels calm, inspired, and she's excited about what's ahead." Jolie most recently stepped out at the Cannes Film Festival in France to attend the Trophée Chopard dinner. She also attended the world premiere of Emma Stone's new movie Eddington at the French International film festival on Friday, May 16. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein's accusers 'all said no,' prosecutor tells jury as rape retrial ends
By Jack Queen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A prosecutor on Wednesday told jurors in Harvey Weinstein's Manhattan retrial that the evidence clearly showed the former movie mogul raped three women, pushing back on a defense lawyer's efforts to paint the accusers as liars. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg picked up where she left off during closing arguments the previous day, seeking to show that Weinstein forced himself on the women despite their pleading with him to stop. The Academy Award-winning producer and Miramax studio co-founder is accused of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and assaulting the two other women in 2006 and 2002. Weinstein, who has denied ever having non-consensual sex or assaulting anyone, has pleaded not guilty. The trial began in April. "Members of the jury, he raped three women. They all said, 'no,'" Blumberg said. Weinstein, 73, is on trial for a second time after a New York state appeals court threw out his conviction in April 2024. Experiencing a litany of health problems, Weinstein was present in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, wearing a dark suit and tie. Before Blumberg's pitch to jurors Wednesday, defense lawyer Arthur Aidala twice moved for a mistrial based on the prosecutor's arguments the previous day, but the motions were swiftly denied by state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber. The 12 jurors are due to begin deliberations after closing arguments are completed and Farber instructs them on the law. Blumberg on Tuesday called Weinstein a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. She urged jurors Wednesday to disregard the defense's claim the Weinstein was on trial because he was famous and that prosecutors were trying to criminalize consensual sex. "We heard a lot about 'policing the bedroom' yesterday," Blumberg said, referring to Aidala's closing argument on Tuesday. "We don't want to police bedrooms either - unless you're forcibly raping someone inside them." Aidala on Tuesday accused the three alleged victims of lying on the witness stand out of spite after consensual sexual encounters with Weinstein failed to deliver them Hollywood stardom. "They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice - just enough to turn their regret, their buyers' remorse, into criminality," Aidala said of the accusers. The lawyer hoisted a dozen poster-sized placards showing emails from the accusers where they seek Weinstein's company after the alleged attacks, saying they showed the women were lying. Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of up to 29 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He already will likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to a 16-year prison sentence given to him after being found guilty in December 2022 of rape in California. He was convicted of rape by a jury in the previous trial in Manhattan in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction was overturned. That conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. Weinstein has been held at New York City's Rikers Island jail since his conviction was overturned. He has experienced several health scares while being held at Rikers, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
‘The Life of Chuck' contains multitudes
Like King's story, 'The Life of Chuck' is broken into three acts. Writer-director (and Salem native) Mike Flanagan's third and best adaptation of the Maine author's work keeps not only the episodic structure, but also the reverse order in which the events were originally presented. Your full attention is required to follow the breadcrumbs Flanagan leaves. Helping out is an effective narration delivered by an excellent Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Act III, which opens the film, is entitled 'Thanks, Chuck' and deals with what may be the end of the world. Chiwetel Ejiofor is Marty Anderson, a teacher whose attempts at normalcy in his daily routine fall flat. His only comfort is talking on the phone with Felicia ( Advertisement Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan in 'The Life of Chuck.' NEON Advertisement Even stranger is the billboard and ads they keep seeing on TV and in the neighborhood. A guy who, according to the narration, 'looks like an accountant' stares out from the stationary ad. 'Thanks, Chuck,' the copy says, 'for 39 great years.' The rather bland ad's repeat appearances become a running joke with a slightly sinister edge. When the Chuck ad starts showing up in unexpected places, a freaked out Marty walks to Felicia's apartment, presumably to reconcile before the universe implodes. Up next is Act II, 'Buskers Forever.' It's where we finally meet Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), the Chuck who's being thanked on those billboards. He's attending a conference on a business trip, and he'd rather spend his lunch hour alone than with a bunch of boring bankers. The real fun begins when he walks into a town square and is taken with the drumming of a busker (Taylor Gordon). She sees this nondescript man standing by and decides to give him a soundtrack. At the same time, Janice (Annalise Basso), who has just been dumped by her boyfriend via text message, crosses paths with Chuck and that drummer. Suddenly, 'The Life of Chuck' becomes a musical with an incredible dance number smack dab in the middle. 'I Contain Multitudes' is the caption for Act I, the film's longest section and its most powerful and moving. This is where some things get explained, and others are left vague. We're in Chuck's childhood and adolescence. He's played by three actors here, Cody Flanagan as a kid, Benjamin Pajak as a pre-teen and finally Jacob Tremblay as a young adult. Advertisement Mark Hamill in 'The Life of Chuck.' NEON Most of our time is spent with Pajak's incarnation, who lives with his grandparents, Sarah (Mia Sara) and Albie (an Oscar-worthy Mark Hamill). In a speech that warms the heart of math majors like me, Albie extols the beauty of math. 'Math can be art,' Albie tells Chuck, 'but it can never lie.' Meanwhile, his teacher, Miss Richards (Kate Siegel) explains the poetry of my high school English class nemesis, Walt Whitman. 'You contain multitudes,' she tells Chuck, quoting the poet who has a rest area named for him on the New Jersey Turnpike. There's dancing in this section, too, which ties Act I to Act II. There's also a mysterious room in the attic whose contents tie Act I with Act III. But what does it all mean? Mia Sara, Mark Hamill and Cody Flanagan in 'The Life of Chuck.' NEON It's no spoiler to reveal that 'The Life of Chuck' is ultimately about death. And not just the loss of loved ones who precede us, but the concept of death as one's own personal mini-apocalypse. Whether or not there's a Biblical-style apocalypse, we're all going to die on our own. This idea recalled my church-going days, where our pastor told us that people look for gigantic miracles without realizing that, for the most part, miracles are actually very small. A chance encounter, a first crush, a financially successful day of drumming, or, in Chuck's case, a childhood scar that, when recognized later, provides the answer to a very important question—these are all little miracles in this movie. With a masterful juggling of tone, Flanagan celebrates the life of Charles Krantz ('thanks for 39 great years') by flashing his life before our eyes. Visual motifs are repeated, from a waving finger to a familiar face showing up in a different context. There are also verbal cues, like sentences repeated, that are Easter eggs for the other acts. Advertisement And there is also joy to go with the sadness. Though Hamill, Pajak, Ejiofor, Sara, and Hiddleston are all excellent, the film's real MVP is its choreographer, Mandy Moore ('Dancing with the Stars'). Not since the glory days of MGM have there been dance numbers as enjoyable as the ones you'll see here. 'The Life of Chuck' won the Audience award at last year's TIFF, deservedly so. It's one of this year's best movies. I don't know how it will fare at the box office, but I can see it becoming a beloved favorite in the same way 'The Shawshank Redemption' ultimately did. Like that classic, this one really makes you think about life and the things we take for granted. When the lights came up at my TIFF screening, I dried my tears and imagined that my old English teacher, Mr. Kilinski, was laughing from The Great Beyond at how moved I was by the use of Whitman's ' At least I hope I do. As Hemingway once wrote, 'isn't it pretty to think so?' ★★★★ THE LIFE OF CHUCK Written and directed by Mike Flanagan. Based on the novella by Stephen King. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan, Jacob Tremblay, Karen Gillan, Annalise Basso, Taylor Gordon, Kate Siegel, Nick Offerman. At Coolidge Corner, AMC Boston Common. 110 min. R (language). Advertisement Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
