At Oscars, ‘No Other Land’ co-directors call for national rights for Palestinians

Rachel Szor, left, Hamdan Ballal, Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham accept the Oscar for best documentary feature film for No Other Land. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kevin Winter/Getty Images No Other Land won the Oscar for best documentary on Sunday night. In their acceptance speech, the film’s directors called on the world to end what they described as the “ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.” “About two months ago, I became a father,” said Basel Adra, a Palestinian journalist who was one of the film’s four co-directors. “And my hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I am living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements.” Sponsor Message Movie Reviews Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers team up to create ‘No Other Land’ The documentary, made by a team of Palestinian-Israeli filmmakers, follows the displacement of rural Palestinian communities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The villages were cleared to create space for a tank training ground for the Israeli military. Filming began in 2019 and ended in 2023, shortly before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” said Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist and No Other Land co-director. “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.” Abraham went on to call for a “political solution” that would ensure national rights for both Israelis and Palestinians, accusing the United States of “helping to block this path.” Middle East Documentary ‘No Other Land’ looks at Palestinians forced from homes in the West Bank Documentary ‘No Other Land’ looks at Palestinians forced from homes in the West Bank Listen · 7:00 7:00 Transcript Download