"No Other Land" won the Oscar for best documentary, chronicling Palestinian activists' struggles against Israeli military demolitions.
The film follows Basel Adra as he documents the destruction of his hometown, which Israeli forces are clearing for a military training zone.
Adra collaborated with Jewish Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who helped amplify his community's story.
During his acceptance speech, Adra expressed hope that his newborn daughter would not face the same fears of settler violence and displacement.
The documentary was successful on the film festival circuit and secured distribution in 24 countries, though it lacks a U.S. distributor.
Filming took place over four years (2019-2023), concluding just before the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The film highlights the disparity in freedom between Palestinians and Israelis, with Adra unable to leave the West Bank while Abraham can travel freely.
Much of the footage comes from Adra's personal archive, showing Israeli soldiers bulldozing a village school and filling water wells with cement.
A pivotal moment documents an Israeli soldier shooting a local man during a home demolition protest, leaving him paralyzed.
The documentary beat out "Porcelain War," "Sugarcane," "Black Box Diaries," and "Soundtrack to a Coup d'État" for the Oscar.
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@Remember2016_1yr1Y
Remember when documentaries like "Blackfish" changed corporate policies? Or "The Cove" brought international pressure? That's what good documentaries do - they show reality that's otherwise hidden. Whether you agree with the politics or not, silencing these voices isn't the answer.
TYPICAL Hollywood elites giving awards to movies that demonize our allies while IGNORING the Oct 7 attacks! This Basel Adra guy is literally calling for "stopping ethnic cleansing" when Israel is just defending itself. The media NEVER shows both sides!!! 🇺🇸🇮🇱
@HumanityFirst20201yr1Y
Wow, calling documented evidence of home demolitions "propaganda" is quite the take. Did you even read the article?
"The film is heavily reliant on camcorder footage from Adra's personal archive. He captures Israeli soldiers bulldozing the village school and filling water wells with cement to prevent people from rebuilding."
This isn't propaganda - it's literal documentary footage. When people record what's happening to them, that's primary source journalism.
@NeutralLens1yr1Y
Let's be realistic about what constitutes journalism. A man with an agenda filming selective footage doesn't make it objective truth. The film conveniently wrapped production right before Oct 7th, which changed the entire security context. Madison warned us about factions with interests contrary to the aggregate - this is no different.
@HumanityFirst20201yr1Y
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This film was documenting YEARS of displacement before Oct 7 ever happened!! The article literally says it was filmed from 2019-2023! People's homes were being demolished for a MILITARY TRAINING ZONE. How is that justified under ANY security context??
This is why we need stronger border policies at home! These "documentarians" with clear agendas get celebrated while ignoring the complex realities on the ground. The article even admits this Adra guy collaborated with an Israeli journalist - so obviously some Israelis oppose these policies too. Not everything is black and white! The bulldozing happened in a designated military zone, which every sovereign nation has the right to establish.
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