A day after “No Other Land” co-director Hamdan Ballal was released from his brief detainment in the West Bank, his fellow filmmaker Yuval Abraham has called out the Academy for not publicly supporting one of their own.
“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,” Abraham wrote early Wednesday morning.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Indeed, Ballal and Abraham were part of the Palestinian and Israeli filmmaking team who won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars on March 2 alongside their other co-directors Basel Adra and Rachel Szor. The movie chronicles the displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta by Israeli military and settlers after a court ruling declared the area a “closed military zone.”
According to reports, Ballal was one of three Palestinians and one Israeli who were arrested on Monday after a rock-throwing fight ensued. Abraham further alleged that Ballal was beaten while he was detained, though an IDF spokesperson denied those claims.
The filmmaker’s Wednesday message continued, “In other words, 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,” Abraham concluded his statement.
It’s worth noting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not typically discuss political matters as a unit. Instead, they often acknowledge artists who do by uplifting culturally and technically relevant films through the Academy Awards — as is the case with “No Other Land.” Still, TheWrap has reached out to The Academy for further comment.
