The Palestinian filmmaker’s ‘No Other Land’ has won the Oscar for Best Documentary.
The film is based on the struggle of Palestinians who are fighting against the destruction of their homes by the Israeli army.
It won this honor, surpassing films like Porcelain War, Sugar Cane, Black Box Diaries, and Soundtrack to a Day.
‘No Other Land’, which was made between 2019 and 2023, tells the story of Palestinian activist Basel Adra, who risks arrest to document the destruction of his native village of Masafer Yatta.
This village, located on the southern edge of the West Bank, is being demolished by the Israeli army to create a military training zone.
While accepting the award, Basel Adra said that ‘No Other Land’ presents the harsh reality faced by Palestinians, a reality they have endured for decades.
He said, “About two months ago, I became a father, and I give my daughter the hope that she will not have to live the life I am living now, where there is always the fear of settlements, violence, home demolitions, and forced displacement, which my community is suffering from daily under Israeli occupation.”
He urged the world to take “serious action to stop the injustice and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.”
Adra criticized the Israeli government, which he said is destroying his life, and talked about a different path, one that involves “a political solution without racial superiority, where both nations have their national rights.” However, he also stated that U.S foreign policy has been helping to block this path.
The film faced difficulties in finding a distributor in the United States, so the filmmakers organized a week-long screening at the Lincoln Center in November to make it eligible for the Oscars.
The Oscar is the latest honor for ‘No Other Land’. The film also won the Audience Award and Best Documentary Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, while the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film also went to it.
