Los Angeles – “No other land,” is a story about Palestinian activists winning the Oscar for Best Documentary on Sunday to protect their communities from demolition by the Israeli military.
The cooperation between Israel and Palestinian filmmakers follows activist Basel Adra as he risked his arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, with Israeli soldiers dismantling it on the southern edge of the West Bank for military training. Adra’s request turned a deaf ear until he became friends with a Jewish Israeli journalist who helped him expand his story.
“About two months ago, I became a father, my hope for my daughter, she didn’t have to live the life I live now, always worrying about settlers, violence, family demolition and forced displacement,” Adra said.
After a successful run on the Film Festival Tour, “No Other Land” entered the night and became the highest contender. However, it did not find a U.S. distributor after being picked up in 24 countries. For the Oscars, it beats “Porcelain War”, “Sugar Cane”, “Black Box Diary” and “Soundtrack to Call a Coup”.
The documentary was filmed in four years between 2019 and 2023, a few days before Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 to launch a war.
In the film, Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham embeds displacement in community battles, but he faces some letters from Palestinians pointing out his privileges as an Israeli citizen. Adra said he could not leave the West Bank and was regarded as a criminal, and Abraham could come freely.
The film relies heavily on camera videos from Adra’s personal archives. He captured Israeli soldiers to promote in rural schools and filled wells with cement to prevent people from rebuilding.
Adra photographed an Israeli soldier who shot and killed a local, who was protesting the demolition of his house, along with residents of a small, rugged area of Masafer Yatta band. The man was paralyzed and his mother tried to take care of him while living in the cave.
