Oscar-Winning ‘No Other Land’ Directors Urge Global Action For Palestinian Rights

The Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land took center stage at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night, with its co-directors making a passionate plea for Palestinian national rights and an end to violence in Gaza.

Accepting the award for Best Documentary Feature, the film’s four directors Palestinian journalist Basel Adra, Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, and filmmakers Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor used their moment on stage to urge the world to take action against what they described as the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.”

“We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said Adra. “About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter is that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions, and forcible displacements.”

The documentary, made by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinian families in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The film captures the struggles of these communities as their villages are cleared to make way for an Israeli military training ground. Filming began in 2019 and concluded in 2023, just months before the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Power of collaboration

Abraham emphasized the power of collaboration between Palestinians and Israelis in highlighting the crisis. “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” he said. “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 and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control.” He also called for a political solution that ensures national rights for both Palestinians and Israelis, while criticizing U.S. policies that, he argued, obstruct the path to peace.

The film’s success marks a significant moment in documentary filmmaking, as it brings global attention to the realities faced by Palestinian communities in the occupied territories. Despite being the highest-grossing Oscar-nominated documentary of the year, No Other Land has yet to secure an official U.S. distributor.

As tensions continue to escalate in the region, the filmmakers’ message resonated beyond the Dolby Theatre, sparking widespread discussions about the ongoing conflict and the urgent need for a just resolution. The documentary, through its raw and unfiltered storytelling, amplifies the voices of those affected and challenges the international community to respond.

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