No Other Land, a documentary about Palestinians fighting to save their homes, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. This film has gained critical acclaim by standing out against works like Porcelain War and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.
Produced between 2019 and 2023, the film follows Basel Adra, an activist striving to document the demolition of his hometown, Masafer Yatta, by the Israeli military. These demolitions are done to create a military training area in the West Bank. Adra’s story gains traction when he teams up with Yuval Abraham, a Jewish-Israeli journalist who helps him share his message with a wider audience.
While accepting the Oscar, Adra emphasized the challenges Palestinians have faced for many years. He reflected on becoming a father just two months ago, expressing his hopes that his daughter would not experience the fear of violence, home demolitions, and displacements that many in his community endure daily. He urged the international community to take action against these injustices.
#Oscars2025 @basel_adra, winner of the Best Documentary Feature: “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.” #NoOtherLand
Abraham echoed Adra’s sentiments, stating that their joint efforts make their voices more powerful. He highlighted the urgent need to end the destruction in Gaza and called for the release of Israeli hostages taken during recent conflicts. Abraham criticized the current political landscape, suggesting there is a path to peace that includes acknowledging rights for both Palestinians and Israelis.
Despite facing challenges in securing a distributor in the U.S., the film had a brief showing at New York’s Lincoln Center to qualify for the Oscars. It has also achieved recognition at international festivals, winning awards for Best Non-Fiction Film and others.
No Other Land relies heavily on personal footage from Adra’s own recordings. He captures shocking images of Israeli soldiers bulldozing a school and filling water wells with cement to limit rebuilding efforts. The film portrays the community’s resilience as they support one another, especially after a local man is shot while protesting a demolition.
The documentary sheds light on the plight of over three million Palestinians living under military rule in the West Bank, while more than 500,000 Israeli settlers reside in the same area, benefiting from Israeli citizenship. Major human rights organizations have raised alarms about apartheid conditions in the region, a claim the Israeli government denies, standing firm that the West Bank is a historic homeland for Jewish people.
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News, Arts and Culture, Cinema, Gaza, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine conflict, Occupied West Bank, Israel, Middle East, Palestine
