Latest news with #HamdanBallal
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pedro Pascal and Juliette Binoche add their names to Cannes letter condemning 'genocide' in Gaza
Earlier this week, a group of more than 350 international actors, directors and producers signed a letter published on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival condemning the killing of Fatma Hassona, the 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and protagonist of the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. Hassouna was killed along with 10 relatives in an Israeli air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection. The signatories included Pedro Almodóvar, Ruben Östlund, Guy Pierce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yórgos Lánthimos, Susan Sarandon, Alfonso Cuarón and David Cronenberg. They denounced genocide in Gaza: "We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza," read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Libération and US magazine Variety. 'We are ashamed of such passivity.' The letter also urged cinema to use its art form to 'draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed' and to be 'present to protect oppressed voices.' Now, 60 more artists and celebrities have added their names to the letter condemning the film industry for its 'silence' over the ongoing and deadly impact of Israel's military campaign in Gaza – including this year's Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, Pedro Pascal, Guillermo del Toro, Noémie Merlant and Omar Sy. Other new signatories also include Riz Ahmed, Tomas Alfredson, Carter Burwell, Robin Campillo, Camille Cottin, Adèle Haenel, Jim Jarmusch, Michael Moore, Alice Rohrwacher and Peter Straughan. Read the full letter below: Fatma Hassona was 25 years old. She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced that Sepideh Farsi's film 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,' in which she was the star, had been selected in the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival. She was about to get married. Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by the same Israeli strike. Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered. At the end of March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his film 'No Other Land,' was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and then kidnapped by the army, before being released under international pressure. The Oscar Academy's lack of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its own members and it had to publicly apologize for its inaction. We are ashamed of such passivity. Why is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers? As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard. What is the point of our professions if not to draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not present to protect oppressed voices? Why this silence? The far right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and antisemitic movements are waging their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that's why we have a duty to fight. Let's refuse to let our art be an accomplice to the worst. Let us rise up. Let us name reality. Let us collectively dare to look at it with the precision of our sensitive hearts, so that it can no longer be silenced and covered up. Let us reject the propaganda that constantly colonizes our imaginations and makes us lose our sense of humanity. For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference. Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. Let's act before it's too late. When asked about the open letter at the Cultural Council in Brussels earlier this week, French minister of culture Rachida Dati told Euronews: 'It is their role to engage and to have a commitment. I believe that culture and politics go hand in hand. It can be exceptional, when we are committed to creative freedom - because as you know, at the moment there are more and more attacks on creativity. That's why I want to create a senior civil servant for creative freedom.' She added: 'I have taken measures to prevent these attacks on creativity, including many programmers and curators who no longer want to select films. There is more and more self-censorship when it comes to programming. And so, we have to commit to this freedom of creation, we have to prevent obstacles to the freedom of creation, and artists have a role to play in taking sides, in mobilising in relation to what is happening in the world.' Concluding, she shared: 'Personally, I'd be very surprised if the cultural and artistic players weren't mobilised and committed. That's what culture and politics are for. It is said that music softens morals - culture can also save the world. So, I think that everyone is doing their part.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Melissa Barrera and Ralph Fiennes Among 350+ Figures to Sign Letter About Killing of Palestinian Protagonist of Cannes-Bound Doc: ‘We Are Ashamed' of Industry ‘Passivity' (EXCLUSIVE)
A group of more than 350 international actors, directors and producers have signed a letter published on the first day of Cannes condemning the killing of Fatma Hassona, the Palestinian photojournalist and protagonist of the festival-bound documentary 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,' in an Israeli airstrike. The letter, signed by names such as Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yorgos Lanthimos, Javier Bardem, Hannah Einbinder, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Leigh, Alex Gibney, Viggo Mortensen, Cynthia Nixon and many more, also called out the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' for its 'lack of support' for 'No Other Land' co-director Hamdan Ballal. More from Variety 'Megalopolis' Making-Of Doc 'Megadoc' Lands at Utopia One Year After Francis Ford Coppola's Self-Funded Epic Sent Cannes Into a Frenzy (EXCLUSIVE) Jason Segel to Lead James Ponsoldt Thriller 'Sponsor,' Selling at Cannes Susan Sarandon, Mike Leigh Among 600+ Signatories of Open Letter Demanding That BBC Air Delayed Gaza Medics Documentary Just three weeks after winning the Oscar for the documentary, Ballal was assaulted by settlers and kidnapped by the Israeli army. After being criticized for its silence over the incident, AMPAS eventually publicly apologized. 'We are ashamed of such passivity,' read the letter. But the letter also urged cinema — which it said was a 'breeding ground for socially committed works' — to use its art form to 'draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed' and to be 'present to protect oppressed voices.' It concluded: 'For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference. Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. Let's act before it's too late.' See the full letter and list of signatories below: Fatma Hassona was 25 years old. She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced that Sepideh Farsi's film 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,' in which she was the star, had been selected in the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival. She was about to get married. Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by the same Israeli strike. Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered. At the end of March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his film 'No Other Land,' was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and then kidnapped by the army, before being released under international pressure. The Oscar Academy's lack of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its own members and it had to publicly apologize for its inaction. We are ashamed of such passivity. Why is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers? As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard. What is the point of our professions if not to draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not present to protect oppressed voices? Why this silence? The far right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and antisemitic movements are waging their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that's why we have a duty to fight. Let's refuse to let our art be an accomplice to the worst. Let us rise up. Let us name reality. Let us collectively dare to look at it with the precision of our sensitive hearts, so that it can no longer be silenced and covered up. Let us reject the propaganda that constantly colonizes our imaginations and makes us lose our sense of humanity. For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference. Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies. Let's act before it's too late. The signatories are: Khalid AbdallaNoée AbitaHany Abu-AssadRaphaëlle AgoguéIyad AlasttalCatia AlbertazziVlad AlexisTaraneh AlidoostiWaad Al-KateabYasmine Al MassriPedro AlmodóvarPedro AlonsoCristèle Alves MeiraSerdar AkarIndia AmarteifioGianni AmelioCarmine AmorosoElisa AmorusoRomain AndréRoberto AndòGeoff ArbourneFrancesca ArchibugiTiziana AristarcoSwann ArlaudOlivier AzamGökçe BahadirJeanne BalibarBalojiAvital BarakCarlos BardemJavier BardemMelissa BarreraBelma BaşDominique BaumardXavier BeauvoisSaïd Ben SaïdLeïla BekhtiLuca BellinoSuzy BembaAdila BendimeradKaouther Ben HaniaDali BenssalahFabrizio BentivoglioJulie BertuccelliSimone BittonKonstantin BojanovBertrand BonelloAgathe BonitzerAmélie BonninBruno BontzolakisLucie BorleteauSami BouajilaElodie BouchezBastien BouillonGuillaume BracRachida BrakniEvelyne BrochuSilvia BrunelliJean-Stéphane BronCeleste BrunnquellGianfranco CabidduEsmeralda CalabriaLaure CalamyMimmo CaloprestiMehmet Can MertoğluEric CantonaStefania CasiniAntonio Maria CastaldoMarco CastaldiSergio CastellittoBeniamino CatenaEbru Nuri CeylanNuri Bilge CeylanLolita ChammahMoïra Chappedelaine-VautierAmira ChebliNadim CheikhrouhaAntoine ChevrollierSimona ChioccaJulie ChristieHélier CisterneIsabel CoixetDaniele ColucciniMaddalena CrippaDavid CronenbergCosta-GavrasSaverio CostanzoPaolo CostellaPappi CorsicatoBrian CoxMarcia CrossAlfonso CuarónLiam CunninghamSinéad CusackFatima DaasCherien DabisBéatrice DalleCharles DanceCiro D'EmilioArkin Mercan DedeMary Ellen DavisSlimane DaziYann DedetMatthieu de LabordePierre DeladonchampsÉmilie DeleuzeAgnès de SacyVolfango De BiasiCiro De CaroMaura DelperoMaria De MedeirosGiuliana De SioMaria Teresa De VitoSylvain DesclousLukas DhontJuan Diego BottoAlice DiopJavad DjavaheryJulie DelpyXavier DolanDimitri DoréLaetitia DoschJoana Dos ReisMike Downey, DriverLuana DucheminSophie DupuisPierre-Nicolas DurandVirginie EfiraHannah EinbinderSayyid El AlamiOuidad ElmaAmir El-MasryMareike EngelhardtVíctor EriceBenedikt ErlingssonAdèle ExarchopoulosRoberto FaenzaFrédéric FarrucciSepideh FarsiNina FaureElda FerriMargherita FerriIsabella FerrariLisa FestaRalph FiennesSophie FiennesMilena FioreMahdi FleifelMichele FornaseroMarine FrancenBlanche GardinLena GarrelCarmen GarciaJean-Raymond GarciaNicole GarciaPablo Garcia CangaMatteo GarroneAlessandro GassmannNadia GenetXavier GensPaolo GenoveseAurélia GeorgesRichard GereDenis GheerbrantAdriano GianniniAlex GibneyRaphaël GirardotJonathan GlazerJudith GodrècheBrice GravelleEmmanuel GrasZeno GratonMarco GrecoJosé Luis GuerínDiane GuerreroSamir GuesmiVincent GuilbertAlain GuiraudieGerman GutierrezNaomi Foner GyllenhaalGrimur HákonarsonRebecca HallArthur HarariMisan HarrimanLena HeadeyClotilde HesmeHafsia HerziTed HopeVanessa HopeSandra HullerFiorella InfascelliMohamed JabalyAnnemarie JacirAlma JodorowskyÓskar JónassonElisabeth JonniauxValdimar JóhannssonRachel Leah JonesÞorsteinn JónssonGladys JoujouRadu JudeIlker KaleliAsif KapadiaSemih KaplanoğluMathieu 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Rezan YeşilbaşSofiane ZermaniAndrea Zuliani Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hindustan Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
'I was kicked, spat on': Hamdan Ballal, Oscar-winning director of No Other Land, recalls attack by Israeli settlers
Oscar-winning co-director of documentary No Other Land, Hamdan Ballal, has recalled his brutal attack and capture by Israeli settlers, saying that he was mocked for his accolade amid his abduction. (Also Read | Oscars' Academy apologises for not naming No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal in response to attack on him) In an op-ed article in The New York Times, as quoted by Deadline, Hamdan shared details of the horrific incident. Calling the incident the "worst moment of my life," the filmmaker urged continued international attention on Palestine and the "near-daily violence" its residents experience. The co-director wrote that the attack occurred on a 'typical Ramadan evening' in late March, as quoted by Deadline. As per the outlet, when his neighbour informed him that settlers were attacking, he rushed to document the scene, later retreating once the crowd grew and he worried for his family's safety. When Hamdan saw the soldiers, whom he recognised, coming toward him, he ushered his wife and three young children inside, instructing her not to open the door, no matter what. "They met me outside the door of my home and started beating and cursing me. Mocking me as the 'Oscar-winning filmmaker.' I felt guns bashing my ribs. Someone punched me in the head from behind. I fell to the ground. I was kicked and spat on. I felt immense pain and fear. I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away. It was the worst moment of my life. My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died," wrote Hamdan as quoted by Deadline. The capture of Hamdan was first publicised by his colleague and No Other Land co-director Abraham, who later censured the Academy's response to the attack, as the body refused to unequivocally denounce the violence, reported Deadline. The Academy apologised for the vague letter it released about the matter, which did not even mention Hamdan by name, after more than 900 leading members of the Academy condemned the tepid move and called for a stronger response in support of Hamdan.
The National
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
No Other Land director says Oscar 'meant nothing' after Israeli attack
Hamdan Ballal, who is one of four directors for the documentary No Other Land, was detained, handcuffed, and blindfolded, by the Israeli military and later released. The film, about the disputed West Bank, won the Oscar for best documentary feature film on March 2. Writing in the New York Times, Ballal told of his experience, how he feared he would be killed, and that it was the 'worst moment of my life'. He was left hospitalised after the brutal attack. READ MORE: London Marathon Gaza protest sees red paint thrown on Tower Bridge 'It's hard to put into words how that moment felt,' he said of the Oscar win. 'It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. 'Three weeks later, I was brutally attacked in my home and arrested. 'In an instant, it was as if the Oscars had never happened, as if the award didn't mean anything.' He added: 'We made our movie in order to bring attention to the situation where I live, to try to bring change to our communities, but when I was attacked, I realized that we were still trapped in the same grinding loop of violence and subjugation.' Relaying his experience of the attack on March 24, during Ramadan, he described how he saw 'a settler and two soldiers coming down the hill toward me', telling his wife to keep herself and their three young children inside. Ballal wrote: 'I recognized the men coming toward us. They met me outside the door of my home and started beating and cursing me, mocking me as the 'Oscar-winning filmmaker'. (Image: @basel_adra, via Twitter/X) 'I felt guns bashing my ribs. Someone punched me in the head from behind. I fell to the ground. 'I was kicked and spat on. I felt immense pain and fear. 'I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away. It was the worst moment of my life. 'My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died.' Ballal said he was then handcuffed, blindfolded, and beaten, being held on a military base until he was released the next day. He insisted that the herding communities in Masafer Yatta, in the southern West Bank, 'does not know only violence'. READ MORE: Laura Webster: What happened when I was invited to Israel But, Ballal explained that the near 'daily violence' is impacting the region's ability to farm, produce food and, maintain its traditions. 'On the day of the attack, alongside the fear, I felt something else I didn't expect: heartbreak,' Ballal wrote. 'My heart was broken from the disappointment. From the sense of failure. From the powerlessness. 'Three weeks earlier, on the Oscar stage, I had a taste of power and possibility. But even though our movie received global recognition, I felt I had failed — we had failed — in our attempt to make life better here. READ MORE: Scottish musicians to stage charity concert for Palestine 'To convince the world something needed to change. My life is still at the mercy of the settlers and the occupation. My community is still suffering from unending violence. 'Our movie won an Oscar, but our lives are no better than before.' It comes after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologised following criticism for its failure to support Ballal while he was detained. Nearly 700 voting members, including several A-Listers, signed an open letter rebuking the body. The academy's initial response did not mention Ballal by name, but later issued an apology.
Mint
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
'I was kicked and spat on': Oscar winner co-director Hamdan Ballal recalls details of attack by Israeli settlers
Washington DC [US], April 27 (ANI): Oscar-winning co-director of documentary 'No Other Land', Hamdan Ballal has recalled his brutal attack and capture by Israeli settlers, saying that he was mocked for his accolade amid his abduction. In an op-ed article in The New York Times, as quoted by Deadline, Ballal shared details of the horrific incident. Calling the incident the "worst moment of my life," the filmmaker urged continued international attention on Palestine and the "near-daily violence" its residents experience. The co-director wrote that the attack occurred on a 'typical Ramadan evening' in late March, as quoted by Deadline. As per the outlet, when his neighbour informed him that settlers were attacking, he rushed to document the scene, later retreating once the crowd grew and he worried for his family's safety. When Ballal saw the soldiers, whom he recognised, coming toward him, he ushered his wife and three young children inside, instructing her not to open the door, no matter what. "They met me outside the door of my home and started beating and cursing me. Mocking me as the 'Oscar-winning filmmaker.' I felt guns bashing my ribs. Someone punched me in the head from behind. I fell to the ground. I was kicked and spat on. I felt immense pain and fear. I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away. It was the worst moment of my life. My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died," wrote Ballal as quoted by Deadline. The capture of Ballal was first publicised by his colleague and 'No Other Land' co-director Abraham, who later censured the Academy's response to the attack, as the body refused to unequivocally denounce the violence, reported Deadline. The Academy apologised for the vague letter it released about the matter, which did not even mention Ballal by name, after more than 900 leading members of the Academy condemned the tepid move and called for a stronger response in support of Ballal. (ANI) First Published: 27 Apr 2025, 01:39 PM IST
