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Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The controversies plaguing Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land,' explained
As the reigning Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature, No Other Land and its quartet of filmmakers — Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal,Basel Adra, and Rachel Szor — should be taking a victory lap. In other years with other documentaries, there would be the traditional theatrical boost, promotional appearances, and high-profile follow-up opportunities. But that's not the case with No Other Land. The film and its directors have been unable to fully enjoy the fruits of their Academy Award victory. Here's a brief look at everything that has gone wrong. More from GoldDerby 'The Studio' star Chase Sui Wonders on Seth Rogen's advice, annoying Ron Howard, and wiping nacho cheese on Kathryn Hahn 'English' star Hadi Tabbal brings his own immigrant experience to Broadway to portray a man 'stuck between two worlds' Seth Rogen's 'The Studio' - instant Emmy predictions for buzzy new Apple TV+ series No Other Land chronicles a developing alliance between Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Abraham, an Israeli journalist. They collaborate to show the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers. The film became an immediate sensation on the international scene, winning the Best Documentary prize at last year's Berlin Film Festival. It went on to score top honors from the International Documentary Association, Cinema Eye Honors, Gothams, and the National Society of Film Critics; in all, the film receieved more than 60 awards. Despite near-universal praise, the film was deemed too politically charged to secure a U.S. distribution deal. Earlier this year, the directors worked with Cinetic Media to facilitate their own theater bookings via Michael Tuckman Media. Following showings in New York and Los Angeles, No Other Land expanded to more than 20 theaters nationwide. The early success allowed them to self-distribute even further — and it went on to become the top-grossing documentary from this year's Oscar lineup with domestic box-office receipts totaling $1.7 million. The filmmakers weren't surprised by its success. "Well, the film has distribution all over the world, and there's a really big demand for it in the United States, so you would expect a big distributor to jump on board," Abraham told Variety in December. "The film is very, very critical of Israeli policies. As an Israeli I think that's a really good thing, because we need to be critical of these policies so they can change. But I think the conversation in the United States appears to be far less nuanced — there is much less space for this kind of criticism, even when it comes in the form of a film." Even without U.S. distribution, the film completed its run to Oscar, claiming the top prize on March 2 in a field that also included Black Box Diaries, Porcelain War, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, and Sugarcane. During their acceptance speech, Adra and Abraham blasted the "atrocious destruction of Gaza" and U.S. policies "helping to block" the freedom of Palestine. "Two months ago I became a father and my hope is my daughter will not have to live the the same life I'm living now — always fearing home demolitions and forced displacements that my community, Masafer Yatta, is facing every day," Adra said during their acceptance speech. "No Other Land portrays the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist. We call on the world to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people." Abraham added, "We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger. We see each other — the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end. The Israeli hostages, brutally taken on Oct. 7, who must be freed. When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law. Basel is under military law that destroys his life and he cannot control it. There is a different path, a political solution ... with national rights for both of our people. I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Why? Can't you see that we are intertwined? My people can be truly safe if Basel's people are truly free. There is another way. It's not too late for life for the living. There is no other way." On March 12, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner issued a draft resolution calling for the termination of a lease between the city and O Cinema, a theater located at the city-owned Old City Hall. Meiner was outraged that the theater had screened No Other Land. 'I watched the film,' he wrote in a newsletter to constituents that described the documentary as 'a false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our City and residents. .. I am a staunch believer in free speech. But normalizing hate and then disseminating antisemitism in a facility owned by the taxpayers of Miami Beach … is unjust to the values of our city and residents and should not be tolerated.' In a statement, Vivian Marthell the CEO of O Cinema said, 'Our decision to screen No Other Land is not a declaration of political alignment. It is a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard. The ability to present diverse perspectives without fear of political retribution is the cornerstone of a free and democratic society. Efforts to pressure or censor artistic expression set a dangerous precedent that threatens the creative and intellectual freedoms of all.' She threatened to sue the city should any action be taken. Abraham, meanwhile, denounced Meiner's attempt to shut down the theater. On March 19, the day the issue was set to be addressed at the city commission meeting, Meiner withdrew his petition after five of six commissioners said they did not condone the action. In a post on X on Monday, Abraham announced that Ballal, a Palestinian, was ambushed near his home in the West Bank. "They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. [Israeli] Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since." Jihad Nawajaa, head of the Susiya local council, told Reuters that a group of settlers attacked the Susiya village during a gathering for Iftar, the end of the daily Ramadan fast, on Monday. Ballal, who was injured, was one of three men who were arrested. Ballal's wife Lamia Balall later said, "The settlers attacked him and started beating him, and then they arrested him, we do not know anything about him." Ballal was released a day later, Abraham said on X. "After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family," he wrote. In a new post on X Wednesday, Abraham went after the Motion Picture Academy for failing to speak out against the attack on Ballal. 'Sadly, the U.S. Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers. The European Academy voiced support, as did countless other award groups and festivals. Several U.S. Academy members — especially in the documentary branch — pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused. We were told that because other Palestinians were beaten up in the settler attack, it could be considered unrelated to the film, so they felt no need to respond.' 'All my body is pain,' Ballal told the Associated Press. 'I heard the voices of the soldiers, they were laughing about me… I heard 'Oscar' but I didn't speak Hebrew.' "While Hamdan was clearly targeted for making No Other Land," Abraham continued in his tweet, "he was also targeted for being Palestinian — like countless others every day who are disregarded. This, it seems, gave the Academy an excuse to remain silent when a filmmaker they honored, living under Israeli occupation, needed them the most. It's not too late to change this stance. Even now, issuing a statement condemning the attack on Hamdan and the Masafer Yatta community would send a meaningful message and serve as a deterrent for the future." Even after winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, No Other Land remains difficult to watch in the U.S. Just a handful of indie theaters, like O Cinema, are exhibiting the film. The doc was declined by all major streamers and is only available digitally on the film's official website, which is only accessible to stream for free within Israel-Palestine. Per Stylecaster, "if you want to watch No Other Land in the U.S., American viewers will need a VPN (virtual private network), which is a service that allows users to set their computer's location to another country and access websites that would otherwise be restricted by location." SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Alan Arkin movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Warren Beatty movies: 12 greatest films ranked worst to best Mark Ruffalo movies: 14 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Palestinian Oscar-Winning Director Hamdan Ballal Released By Israeli Forces—What To Know About ‘No Other Land'
Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian director who won an Oscar three weeks ago for his documentary film 'No Other Land,' was released by Israeli forces Tuesday after being detained the day prior, following a confrontation in the West Bank in which Ballal's co-director says he was attacked by Israeli settlers. Ballal was released Tuesday, his co-director Yuval Abraham said in a post on X, stating in follow-up posts Ballal was 'assaulted and beaten up' by settlers and was 'handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base.' The Associated Press corroborated the report of Ballal's release Tuesday morning, stating its journalists saw Ballal and two other Palestinians leave a West Bank police station, and that Ballal had 'bruises on his face and blood on his clothes.' Ballal's lawyer Lea Tsemel said he and the other two Palestinians detained by Israeli forces spent the night on the floor of a military base receiving minimal treatment for injuries sustained during an attack Monday. Ballal and the other two detainees were driven to a nearby hospital following their release Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Ballal's co-director Basel Adra posted photos on Instagram of Ballal receiving treatment Tuesday, stating he is at a hospital in the city of Hebron. Tsemel told the Associated Press Ballal and the two other detainees were accused of throwing stones at a young Israeli settler, which they denied. Abraham, and Ballal's wife, Lamia Ballal, both said Ballal was attacked by Israeli settlers prior to being detained by soldiers. Ballal's wife told the Associated Press she saw three men in uniform beating Ballal with rifles, stating she heard her husband scream, 'I'm dying.' Abraham said in a post on X the Israeli settlers 'beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding,' adding, 'Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him.' The Israeli military told multiple media outlets Monday the three Palestinians were detained because they were throwing stones at Israeli forces and damaged their vehicles. Ballal's detention drew immediate backlash from filmmakers and documentarians. A petition calling for Ballal's freedom, co-signed by filmmakers including Oscar-winning documentarians Roger Ross Williams and Alex Gibney, garnered more than 7,000 signatures since being posted yesterday. The petition said Ballal's detention 'gravely undermines artistic freedom, human rights, and freedom of speech—core values vital to democratic societies.' The International Documentary Association also condemned Ballal's detention, stating: 'We demand Ballal's immediate release and that his family and community be informed about his condition, location, and the justification for his detention.' Mark Ruffalo called for Ballal's release on Instagram, stating: 'Every film maker and academy member should be acting together in protest. No matter where you stand on this issue this is an attack on our beloved art from of film making.' 'No Other Land' is a joint Israeli and Palestinian production documenting the demolition of the Masafer Yatta village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The documentary is told through footage recorded between 2019 and 2023 and follows Israeli forces attempting to evict villagers as it claims the area for a military training ground. The film was directed by Ballal, Abraham, Palestinian director Basel Adra and Israeli director Rachel Szor. The documentary won many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. While accepting the Oscar, the film's directors pleaded for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 'My hope to my daughter [is] she will not have to live the same life I am living now,' Adra said on stage, urging the world to 'take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.' Abraham, who is Israeli, said on stage, 'We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life,' calling for Israeli forces to end military action in Gaza and for Hamas to release Israeli hostages. 'No Other Land' has struggled to hit theaters in the United States, and some screenings have stoked controversy. Mayor Steven Meiner of Miami Beach said earlier this month he wanted to terminate the lease of O Cinema, an arthouse theater that played 'No Other Land.' Meiner called 'No Other Land' a 'false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people that is not consistent with the values of our City and residents.' Hundreds of filmmakers, including filmmakers Michael Moore and Barry Jenkins and actress Marisa Tomei, slammed Meiner in an open letter for 'censorship.' Meiner backed down from his threat against the theater last week after struggling to secure votes from city commissioners, one of whom urged him: 'Don't force us to vote on something that could be a dialogue.' 'No Other Land' also never secured a U.S. distributor, which the filmmakers have theorized is because distributors may be reluctant to attach themselves to the film's politics. Israel releases Oscar-winning Palestinian director after he was attacked by West Bank settlers (Associated Press) Palestinians were living under occupation before the war. A Palestinian and an Israeli united to show the world their reality (CNN) One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: So, how can you be a power user? Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘No Other Land' Co-Director Hamdan Ballal Freed, Says Yuval Abraham
Hamdan Ballal, one of the Palestinian co-directors of Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, has been freed after being detained and beaten, according to the documentary's Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham. According to Abraham, Ballal was yesterday attacked by a mob of Israeli settlers close to his West Bank village on Monday and then arrested by soldiers. The move sparked outcry among many in the international and U.S. film community. In a post on X yesterday, Abraham reported: 'A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co-director of our film No Other Land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called and took him. No sign of him since.' Ballal is one of four co-directors on No Other Land, alongside fellow Palestinian filmmaker and activist Basel Adra, Abraham and Israeli cinematographer, editor and director Rachel Szor. Shot between 2019 and 2023, No Other Land captures the struggle of people living in the West Bank Palestinian villages of Masafer Yatta in the face of attempts by Israeli authorities and settlers to erase their homes and history from the map. Israeli settlers have continued to attack the area since the film's Oscar win on March 2. According to reports on website of Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the attack happened around 6 p.m. local time in Ballal's West Bank village of Susya, when a settler approached Palestinian homes and was asked to leave by residents. Dozens of settlers then appeared, according to local reports, and started attacking villagers with stones and blows, as well as destroying local infrastructure such as water tanks and smashing car windows. The International Documentary Association said in a statement Monday, 'We demand Ballal's immediate release and that his family and community be informed about his condition, location and the justification for his detention.' The documentary follows the journey of Adra as he documents the devastation of his hometown, after it is designated for Israeli military training. His efforts to raise awareness gain momentum with the support of Israeli journalist Abraham, who amplifies his narrative. The work world-premiered at 2023 Berlinale, where it won the Audience Award and Berlinale Documentary Award, with Abraham sparking controversy after he criticized a 'situation of apartheid' in Israel and called for a ceasefire in Gaza in his acceptance speech. Abraham subsequently received death threats and was accused of antisemitism. The journalist and filmmaker, who is descended from a family that was decimated in the Holocaust, has categorically refuted these accusations. Since its premiere, No Other Land has won 68 film festival and annual prizes, including the BAFTA Award, European Film Award, IDA Awards and Gotham Independent Film Awards. The filmmakers instead opted for a self-distribution in partnership with Cinetic Media, which facilitated theatrical bookings. The documentary premiered on February 2 on a single screen, grossing $26,000, and continued to thrive for four additional weeks, surpassing the $1.2 million mark and expanding to 120 screens. The film landed in the eye of a fresh storm this month when Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner proposed terminating a lease agreement with indie cinema O Cinema due its screening of the film, saying the pic failed a to present a fair and balanced view. He was forced to stand down by local opposition to the move. More than 600 people including several Oscar winners signed an open letter to the city decrying the theater's potential shutdown as 'an attack on freedom of expression, the right of artists to tell their stories, and a violation of the First Amendment.' Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery How To Watch 'Wicked: Part One': Is The Film Streaming Yet? All The Songs In 'Severance' Season 2: From The Who To Ella Fitzgerald
The National
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Film industry condemns attack on Palestinian Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal
The global film community has condemned the attack of Oscar-winner Hamdan Ballal, allegedly by a mob of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Monday night. Ballal, who is credited as co-director in the documentary No Other Land, was attacked in his village of Susya, according to Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who is also one of the directors of the film. Susya features heavily in film, which follows the struggles faced by journalist Basel Adra as he and his community try to protect their West Bank village from Israeli settlers. Abraham said Ballal received injuries to his head and stomach. The activist group, Centre for Jewish Non-violence, said Ballal was being treated in an ambulance when Israeli soldiers detained him and a second Palestinian man. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. "We demand Ballal's immediate release and that his family and community be informed about his condition, location and the justification for his detention," the US-based International Documentary Association posted on Instagram. No Other Land won Best Feature Documentary at the IDA Awards in December. It's one of many accolades the film has received, including best documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Gotham Awards and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo, who has been outspoken about his pro-Palestine, also reposted a news story about Ballal's attack on his Instagram stories. Ruffalo also shared a speech by Hacks star Hannah Einbinder in which she said she was "horrified by the Israeli government's massacre of well over 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza". Einbinder was speaking at an event where she was being honoured with the Visibility Award by Human Rights Campaign. "I am ashamed and infuriated that this mass murder is funded by our American tax dollars. It should not be controversial to say that we should all be against murdering civilians," she said. American comedian and actor Asif Ali also shared a story about Ballal's attack on his Instagram Stories. An online petition was also launched on Monday by filmmakers on demanding Ballal's release. "We, members of the global film community, urgently appeal for the immediate release and safety of filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, the recipient of this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature," the petition reads. "Reports that Mr Ballal was forcibly removed by the Israeli army from an ambulance following a brutal attack by settlers, and subsequently detained without clear information regarding his whereabouts, deeply alarm us. Such treatment of an internationally acclaimed filmmaker gravely undermines artistic freedom, human rights, and freedom of speech – core values vital to democratic societies. We urge immediate intervention to secure Ballal's safety, prompt release, access to his family and legal counsel." The more than 100 signatories include American documentary filmmakers Roger Ross Williams, Alex Gibney and Smriti Mundhra, as well as Brazilian director Julia Bacha, whose 2021 film Boycott looked at retaliatory laws against people and organisations engaged in boycotts of Israel-affiliated entities.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
International Documentary Association Adds Inti Cordera, Nathalie Seaver, Joel Simon And Luis González Zaffaroni To Board Of Directors
The International Documentary Association is adding a quartet of distinguished members of the nonfiction film community to its board of directors. Joining the board are More from Deadline 'No Other Land' Wins Best Feature Documentary & Best Director At 40th IDA Documentary Awards: Complete Winners List 'Sugarcane,' 'Soundtrack To A Coup D'Etat,' 'Queendom,' 'Black Box Diaries' & More Earn Multiple Nominations For IDA Documentary Awards 'No Other Land,' 'Queendom,' 'Black Box Diaries,' 'Sugarcane' & More Make IDA's Shortlist Of Year's Top Documentaries Inti Cordera, a documentary film director, producer, and founder of La Maroma Productions Nathalie Seaver, executive vice president at Foothill Productions Joel Simon, author and founding director of the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York Luis González Zaffaroni, executive director of DOCSP, an organization focused on the development of the documentary field in São Paulo, Brazil 'We are excited to welcome Inti, Nathalie, Joel, and Luis to the IDA Board of Directors,' IDA Executive Director Dominic Asmall Willsdon said in a statement. 'Our board is growing steadily with the inclusion of international leaders in the documentary field who will be invaluable resources in IDA's efforts in advocacy for documentary filmmakers across the globe.' The newly added board members join Ina Fichman (co-president), Michael Turner (co-president), Chris Albert (secretary), Maria Agui-Carter (treasurer), Bob Berney, Paula Ossandón Cabrera, Toni Kamau, Grace Lee, Orwa Nyrabia, Chris Pérez, Al Perry, and Amir Shahkhalili. The IDA announced that Marcia Smith, co-founder of Firelight Media, will be stepping down from the board after serving two terms. The org also noted that Keisha N. Knight, head of the IDA Funds department since 2022, is leaving to establish a new initiative to support systems-impacted filmmakers, The Solidarity Media Network. The IDA sees its mission as supporting documentary makers and championing 'a thriving and inclusive documentary culture… Through our work, we connect audiences with the best of the form, provide resources, create community, and defend the rights and freedoms of documentary artists, activists, and journalists around the globe.' Below is more background on each of the new board members joining the IDA. Inti Cordera is a documentary film director, producer, and founder of La Maroma Productions and the DocsMX festival & organization in Mexico City. In his more than 30 years as a director and producer, he has carried out numerous projects for documentary films, series, and TV programs. His work was selected and awarded at renowned festivals in Mexico, Latin America, North America, and Europe. He has also participated as a jury member in festivals and project evaluation committees, as well as in workshops, analysis forums, and work groups in more than 15 countries. Nathalie Seaver has a long history in film and has held creative development and production executive positions for scripted film and television at Universal Pictures, MGM, Warner Brothers, and Showtime. This narrative background informs her approach to elevated storytelling in her current role, nurturing and supporting documentaries at all stages of production as Executive Vice President at Foothill Productions. Their films have premiered at Sundance, Telluride, TIFF, Tribeca, Hot Docs, and the Venice Biennale and include several Oscar and Emmy Nominees. Recently released titles include Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid, Art Spiegelman, Disaster is My Muse, Food and Country, Desperate Souls, Dark City -The Legend of Midnight Cowboy, and The Martha Mitchell Effect. Joel Simon is the founding director of the Journalism Protection Initiative at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, part of the City University of New York. He is the author of four books, including The New Censorship: Inside the Global Battle for Media and Media Freedom and most recently The Infodemic: How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free, co-authored with Robert Mahoney. He writes regularly on press freedom issues for The New Yorker and produces a column for Columbia Journalism Review. From 2006 until 2021, Simon served as executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. His work defending press freedom was featured in the HBO documentary Endangered, which was nominated for an Emmy. Luis González Zaffaroni is the executive director of DOCSP, an organization focused on the development of the documentary field in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2015. He was the founding director of DocMontevideo (Uruguay, 2009-2023), with a key role in the Latin American documentary community and its international promotion. Always connected with training and networking programs, he has been a consultant and adviser in more than ten countries for cinema agencies, funds, markets, and festivals. He is a member of the advisory board of TAL, the Latin American cultural and public broadcasters network, and the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery Everything We Know About Paramount's 'Regretting You' Adaptation So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More
