No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham has claimed that the “US 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”.
Israeli filmmaker Abraham, who has been active on X in recent days documenting the attack on his co-director Ballal, drew a contrast today between the Academy’s silence and support from The European Academy and “countless other award groups and festivals”. He added: “Several US 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.”
Abraham called on the Academy to condemn the attack: “While Hamdan was clearly targeted for making No Other Land (he recalled soldiers joking about the Oscar as they tortured him), 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.”
We have reached out to the Academy for comment.
Palestinian director Ballal was freed yesterday after being detained and beaten, according to the two filmmakers. Their fellow No Other Land director Basel Adra posted an image yesterday of Ballal in hospital receiving treatment.
Ballal says he was severely beaten at the hands of Jewish settlers at his home on Monday, just outside the village of Susiya. He told ABC News that Israeli soldiers carrying guns were also present during the attack. He was then detained by authorities.
“It was a hard, hard attack,” Ballal told ABC last night. “You know, I feel I will die, because this attack was so hard, I bleed from everywhere. I’m crying from deeply in my heart. I feel pain everywhere in my body. So, they continue attacking me like 15-20 minutes.”
The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police have denied being involved in any beating. Israeli authorities said that Ballal was detained along with several others on suspicion of throwing stones, damaging property and compromising the security of the area.
Police say the investigation is continuing, but Ballal denies he did anything wrong. “I didn’t throw stones, I didn’t do any problems with the settlers,” he told ABC.
The attack sparked outcry in the film community. The European Film Academy “called on the Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal.”
Filmmakers Alex Gibney, Liz Garbus, Ezra Edelman, Christine Vachon and Maite Alberdi were among some 3,700 signatories of a petition calling for Ballal’s immediate release and safety. In a social post, Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo called on “every filmmaker and Academy member” to “act together in protest”.
Documentary festival CPH:DOX – which is currently underway in the Danish capital of Copenhagen – also put out a statement saying it was “deeply horrified and shocked” by the reports of what had happened to Ballal. The International Documentary Association demanded Ballal’s “immediate release” and “justification for his detention”.
No Other Land, made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Abraham.
