At the 97th Oscars Award Ceremony, No Other Land took home an Oscar for โBest Documentary Feature Film.’ The film features Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham sharing Israelโs eviction of Masafer Yatta. As they received their Oscars, these young men pleaded for the Israel-Hamas War to end.
No Other Land Insight on Israel and Palestine
Adra and Abraham devoted themselves to recording No Other Land in 2019 to expose Israelโs actions against the Palestinians. They spent over four years together recording Israelโs troops deconstructing Palestinians’ homes in the West Bank. One of these communities was Adraโs village, Masafer Yatta, which led him to become an activist at age 15. In a November 2024 NPR interview, Abraham told Leila Fadel how he admired the Palestiniansโ bravery:
โFive minutes after we began, soldiers accompanied a bulldozer to the village. I ran after Adra after them as he rushed to film it. It was a very difficult and shocking scene for me to see the amount of violence to push farmers out of their houses. […] I remembered standing there and talking with him afterward,ย and I admired him and [the people of Masafer Yatta] who resisted these policies. We became good friends over time and allies during this political struggle.”
When they finished archiving their footage for No Other Land in 2023, the West Bank faced the new threat of Hamas. Their mission is to claim Israel’s Jewish territories within the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem. On Oct. 7th, Hamas responded with a rocket barrage to Israel after cutting the food supply from the Gaza Strip. The aftermath resulted in about 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages.ย
London film distributor Dogwoof assisted in No Other Landโs film releases throughout 2024. The documentary debuted last year at the Berlin International Film Fest on Feb. 17th. Audiences were captivated by the destruction the Israeli troops had committed in a tank testing zone. Many viewers were left inspired by Adra and Abrahamโs friendship while continuing to protest against the Israel-Hamas War.
Addressing Israel-Hamas During Oscars
When No Other Land won its Oscar on Mar. 2nd, Adra and Abraham each addressed the audience regarding their achievement. Adra expressed how the film shows Israel and Palestineโs ongoing territorial war: โ[…] We have been enduring for decades and still resist while calling the world to take serious action to stop the injustice and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.โ
Abraham followed with this statement: โI see [Adra] as my brother, but our lives are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free by civilian law while he is under military law that destroyed his life and he cannot control.โ He then voiced his concerns about the current stance of the U.S. foreign policy. โThereโs a different path: a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both [Israeli and Palestinians]. […] The foreign policy in the US is helping block the path.โ
On Feb. 4th, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Palestinians should immigrate from Gaza, specifically to the neighboring countries of Egypt and Jordan. The proposal backfired when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior member Izzat al-Rishq charged that the U.S. wanted to turn the area into โThe Riviera of the Middle East.โ Both saw this as annexation and ethnic cleansing.
โBest Supporting Actorโ Oscar nominee Guy Pearce showed his support for their cause during the Oscarโs ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter spotted โThe Brutalistโ actor wearing a โFree Palestineโ dove pin on his tuxedo jacket. When he was seen previously wearing it at the Cannes Film Fest 2024, Vanity Fair editors attempted a photoshop removal.
The Current Situation of Israel-Hamas
Since March 1st, Hamas and Israel have been under a ceasefire during the negotiations with the U.S. on hostage exchanges. Now, reaching the second stage, U.S. Envoy Steve Wiktoff suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offer an extension. 50 days for the Islamic holiday of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover, lasting until April 20th. Hamas was supposed to release half of the remaining hostages but quickly declined, calling it โa blatant attempt to evade the agreement terms.โ
As tensions grow, U.S. aid trucks in the Gaza Strip have now halted their deliveries. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office informed the press, โAll entry of goods and supplies will cease.โ
Adra recently became a father two months prior and told his fellow Oscar nominees his deepest desire: โMy hope to my daughter is that she will not have to live the same life Iโm living now. Always fearing, always fearing settlers, home demolition, and forced displacement that Masafer Yatta is living and facing every day under Israeli occupation.โ
Abraham shares this wish, hoping their people can unite one day like their friendship. โCanโt you see that we are intertwined, that my people can truly be safe with [Adraโs] if they are truly free and safe? There is another way. Itโs not too late for life, for the living.โ
