Israeli-Palestinian documentary "No Other Land" wins Oscar

Shafaq News/ "No Other Land," a documentary depicting Palestinian activists resisting the demolition of their communities by the Israeli military, won the Oscar for best documentary on Sunday.

The film, a collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, follows activist Basel Adra as he documents the destruction of his hometown in the southern West Bank, an area being cleared by Israeli forces for use as a military training zone. Despite the risk of arrest, Adra records the demolition, with his calls for help initially ignored until he befriends an Israeli journalist who amplifies his story.

“About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope for my daughter [is] she will not have to live the same life I am living now,” said co-director Adra, a Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, a region in the Occupied West Bank.

For the Oscar, "No Other Land" prevailed over "Porcelain War," "Sugarcane," "Black Box Diaries," and "Soundtrack to a Coup d’État." The film had been a strong contender after a successful festival run, though it did not secure a US distributor despite being picked up in 24 countries.

Yuval Abraham, an Israeli investigative journalist and co-director of the film, described Adra as his “brother” but highlighted the disparities between them.

“We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life,” Abraham said.

Filmed over four years between 2019 and 2023, "No Other Land" captures life in Masafer Yatta, where residents face displacement. Adra’s camcorder footage, a key element of the film, shows Israeli soldiers bulldozing a village school and sealing water wells with cement to prevent reconstruction.

In one of the documentary’s pivotal moments, Adra films an Israeli soldier shooting a local man protesting the demolition of his home. The man is left paralyzed, and his mother struggles to care for him while living in a cave.

The film also explores the tensions surrounding Abraham’s involvement, with some Palestinians questioning his privilege as an Israeli citizen. While Adra is unable to leave the West Bank and faces restrictions, Abraham moves freely between territories.

The documentary was completed just before Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.