'No Other Land' wins Oscar, director Basel Adra bashes 'Israel'
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Two directors, one Palestinian and one Israeli, participated in a joint project to expose the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.
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Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham (R) and Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Basel Adra accept the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 'No Other Land' on March 2, 2025. (AFP)
The documentary feature film "No Other Land," which focuses on the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community, won an Oscar on Sunday. Its directors urged the world to take action and accused the United States of obstructing a resolution.
The film's co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham spent five years creating the documentary. It captures Israeli soldiers demolishing homes and forcibly removing residents to establish a military training zone, as well as the expansion of Jewish settlements into the Palestinian community.
The documentary emphasizes the contrasting realities faced by the two friends—Abraham, who has a yellow Israeli number plate allowing him to travel freely, and Adra, who is confined to a shrinking territory that grows increasingly restrictive for Palestinians.
"'No Other Land' reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people," Adra said on taking the stage.
#Oscars2025 🇵🇸 @basel_adra: “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.” #NoOtherLand pic.twitter.com/2yVfryoAWC
— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) March 3, 2025
Israeli culture minister: 'A sad moment for world of cinema'
In response, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar condemned the recognition the film received, accusing it of being part of a campaign to "sabotage Israel."
“The Oscar win for the film 'No Other Land' is a sad moment for the world of cinema – instead of presenting the complexity of our reality, the filmmakers chose to echo narratives that distort Israel’s image in the world,” Zohar wrote on X.
The Oscar win for the film "No Other Land" is a sad moment for the world of cinema. Instead of presenting the complexity of Israeli reality, the filmmakers chose to amplify narratives that distort Israel’s image vis-à-vis international audiences. Freedom of expression is an…
— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) March 3, 2025
“Freedom of expression is an important value, but turning the slander of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not creativity – it is sabotage of the State of Israel.”
He also called for laws to halt state funding for films or other creative works critical of the country or its policies, stating that public resources should be "directed to works that speak to the Israeli audience, and not to an industry that makes a career out of defaming the country at foreign festivals."
Additionally, reports suggest that Israeli actress Gal Gadot was originally scheduled to present the award for Best Documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards but was reassigned to a different category, "coincidentally" avoiding the moment when it won the Oscar.
It is worth noting that even though the film has won top awards in both Europe and the United States, it has yet to secure a distribution deal in the US, Abraham told Deadline last month.
The documentary feature film "No Other Land," which exposes "Israel’s" displacement of Palestinians, won an #AcademyAwards on Sunday. Its directors used the moment to call for global action to end the conflict and accused the United States of obstructing a resolution.… pic.twitter.com/qKXXElbdef
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 3, 2025
Censoring Palestine
The fact that the film has not yet secured a distribution deal in the US is indicative of the wider culture of censorship in Hollywood against anything related to Palestine.
Palestinians and even pro-Palestine celebrities have seen all kinds of censorship across the US, particularly after October 7, due largely to the influence of the "Israel" lobby.
In June last year, marketing company The A List's founder Ashlee Margolis instructed her staff not to work with any celebrity or influencer who describes "Israel's" actions in Gaza as genocide.
In fact, a number of celebrities were blocked from movie deals or dropped by their talent agencies due to their being outspoken after October 7, including Melissa Barrera, who was dropped from Scream VII at the time, and Susan Sarandon, who was dropped by her talent agency.
