Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham (right) and Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Bassel Adra receiving the Best Documentary award for “No Other Land” on stage at the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, March 2, 2025. (Credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Bassel Adra delivered his plea in one go without really taking a moment to catch his breath. "I wish my daughter would not have the same life as mine. To endure the violence of settlers, the destruction of homes and the forced displacements that my village of Masafer Yatta faces daily under Israeli occupation." Interrupted by a few rounds of applause, and despite slight stammering filled with stress, the main character of the documentary "No Other Land" used the 120 seconds granted to winners under the Hollywood spotlight at the Oscars to call for "ending the injustice and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people," echoed by his co-director Yuval Abraham. "We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis because together, our voices are stronger," added the Israeli journalist. "When I look at Bassel, I see my brother, but we are not equal. We live in a regime where I am free, protected by civil law, while Bassel lives under military law that destroys his life, and that he cannot control," he added, before concluding with sharp criticism of American diplomacy, which he accused of preventing "the other path" outlined in the feature: "I must say it since I am here: This country's foreign policy contributes to blocking this other path, without ethnic supremacy and with national rights for our two peoples."
‘Act of resistance’
A hard-hitting film on Israeli colonization in the occupied West Bank, "No Other Land" won the Oscar for Best Documentary on Sunday. This is a new achievement for a low-budget production supported by a group of Israeli and Palestinian activists, already given the same award a year ago at the Berlinale. The film still has not found a distributor in many countries, including the U.S. It won over "Black Box Diaries", "Porcelain War", "Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat", "Sugarcane", and "The Shadows of a Boarding School", succeeding "20 Days in Mariupol", a documentary on the siege of the Ukrainian city in 2022, at the beginning of the Russian invasion.
The war in Ukraine also appeared briefly amidst a 97th Oscar ceremony mostly marked by awards to Anora and a relative disappointment for "Emilia Pérez", though praised at the Cannes Film Festival and the César Awards. Apart from the "Slava Ukraine" (“Glory to Ukraine”), exclaimed by American actress Daryl Hannah, and the speeches of Adra and Abraham, politics were addressed only in small doses in front of a Hollywood elite still cautious about Donald Trump's antics since his return to the White House. "'Anora' is having a good evening. Two Oscars already. I suppose the Americans are delighted to finally see someone stand up to a powerful Russian," said comedian Conan O'Brien, referring to the American president's proximity to Vladimir Putin.
Shot between 2019 and 2023 in Massafer Yatta, "No Other Land" focuses on the growing friendship between Adra, a Palestinian activist aiming to denounce the ongoing dispossession of his homeland surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements, and a Jewish Israeli journalist, Abraham. The duo strives to document the violence perpetrated by settlers and Israeli soldiers against residents of this area in the southern occupied West Bank. After a long legal battle, the Israeli Supreme Court declared this region a "military zone" in May 2022, paving the way for the expulsion of the population from eight villages set up in a valley where the Israeli army plans to establish a firing range.
The two protagonists, accompanied by Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor in direction, describe the shooting of this documentary as "an act of resistance on the path to justice." This is while the Gaza war, which lasted more than 15 months, has been halted by a very fragile truce since Jan. 19 following the cease-fire agreement signed between Israel and Hamas, and while the "Iron Wall" operation, launched on Jan. 21 by Israeli forces, continues to rage in the occupied West Bank.
‘Defamation of Israel’
Since its release, "No Other Land" has faced numerous criticisms from Israel, which resumed more intensely following its recognition on Hollywood's prestigious stage. "Instead of presenting the complexity of the Israeli reality, the filmmakers chose to amplify narratives that distort Israel's image for the international audience," said Miki Zohar, Israel’s Culture Minister and a member of Likud, who called the awarding of this Oscar a "sad moment for the world of cinema," in a message on the social network X. "Freedom of expression is an important value, but making defamation of Israel a tool for international promotion is not art, it is sabotage against the State of Israel, especially after the massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ongoing war," he added.
In February 2024, Abraham's speech at the Berlinale, in which he denounced an "apartheid situation" in Israel, led to accusations of "anti-Semitism" from German political figures and Israeli media, before receiving death threats on social networks. He also told the British media The Guardian that he had to give up returning to Israel because of these intimidations.
Furthermore, this award constitutes a significant event for Palestinian cinema, awarded an Oscar for the first time. In 2006 and 2014, Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad was nominated twice in the Best Foreign Film category, for "Paradise Now" and "Omar", without success. Two other Palestinian films were also preselected for this 2025 edition: "From Ground Zero" (a collection of 22 films made in Gaza) and "An Orange from Jaffa", respectively in the best foreign film and best short film categories. Four Israeli filmmakers have been rewarded at the Oscars so far, including Ari Sandel, the author of "West Bank Story", a parody of the famous musical "West Side Story", awarded in 2007.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers are illegally established in the occupied West Bank, while more than 1,800 settler attacks against Palestinians were recorded between Oct. 7, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The U.N. added that at least 55 Palestinians have been killed during the "Iron Wall" operation, which also led to the displacement of more than 40,000 Palestinians.
The ceremony’s awards
Here are the winners in the main categories of the 97th Academy Awards, which largely honored Anora by Sean Baker, winning no less than five statuettes: best film, best director, best actress, best editing and best original screenplay.
- Best Film: Anora
- Best Director: Sean Baker, Anora
- Best Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
- Best Actress: Mikey Madison, Anora
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
- Best Original Screenplay: Sean Baker, Anora
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan, Conclave
- Best International Film: I Am Still Here (Brazil)
- Best Animated Feature: Flow
- Best Documentary: No Other Land
- Best Film Editing: Sean Baker, Anora
- Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell, Wicked
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Substance
- Best Original Song: Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, El Mal in Emilia Perez
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
