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Oscar-winning director Yuval Abraham called out the US Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts Association (AMPAS) for not publicly supporting his colleague and Palestinian co-director of 'No Other Land', Hamdan Ballal, after he was beaten by Israeli settlers and detained by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
According to the outlet, Abraham, one of the four directors of the documentary No Other Land, which won an Oscar earlier this month, took to his X handle to report the arrest of Bellal by Israeli soldiers on Monday night after he was assaulted by a group of Israeli settlers near his colleague's home. Following the release of his Palestinian colleague, Abraham expressed his disappointment with the US Academy for not publicly supporting his co-director Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers. Taking to his X handle, Abraham wrote, "Sadly, the US Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers." According to Abraham, the US Academy refused to publicly acknowledge the issue and support the director because they felt that it was unrelated to the film No Other Land. "The European Academy voiced support, as did countless other award groups and festivals. Several US Academy members--especially in the documentary branch--pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused. We were told that because other Palestinians were beaten up in the settler attack, it could be considered unrelated to the film, so they felt no need to respond." No Other Land co-director also claimed that Ballal was mocked by the soldiers for his movie while they tortured him. He urged the prestigious US Academy to issue a statement condemning the attack. "In other words, while Hamdan was clearly targeted for making No Other Land (he recalled soldiers joking about the Oscar as they tortured him), he was also targeted for being Palestinian--like countless others every day who are disregarded. This, it seems, gave the Academy an excuse to remain silent when a filmmaker they honored, living under Israeli occupation, needed them the most. It's not too late to change this stance. Even now, issuing a statement condemning the attack on Hamdan and the Masafer Yatta community would send a meaningful message and serve as a deterrent for the future," wrote Abraham. https://x.com/yuval_abraham/status/1904828586009252249 The alleged attack came just three weeks after 'No Other Land' won the Academy Award for best documentary. On stage, directors Abraham, Ballal, Basel Adra and Rachel Szor highlighted a call for action to the destruction happening in Gaza. 'No Other Land' follows a Palestinian family living in the West Bank as their home gets destroyed by the Israeli government and they face displacement. But amidst the dire conditions, Adra and Abraham, an Israeli journalist, form an unexpected friendship and work together to document the story. (ANI)
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