‘No Other Land’ director slams Academy for ignoring Hamdan Ballal’s assault by Israeli soldiers

Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who recently acquired an Oscar for the documentary "No Other Land", was brutally assaulted by Israeli settlers and soldiers last Monday night. His co-director, Yuval Abraham, has now alleged that the US Academy "US Academy declined to publicly support [him] while Hamdan was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers."

On March 26, Yuval shared a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), criticising the US Academy for remaining silent during Hamdan's ordeal. He 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. 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."

Moreover, he stated, "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 honoured, living under Israeli occupation, needed them the most."

Yuval concluded by calling on the US Academy to release a statement backing Hamdan, stating that, "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."

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Israel releases Palestinian Oscar winner after West Bank detention

According to the filmmakers, Ballal was released a day earlier after enduring detention and severe beatings. He recounted his experience to The Associated Press, describing how a settler viciously kicked his head "like a football" during an attack on his village. Following this, soldiers arrested him along with two other Palestinians.

Hamdan revealed that he was kept blindfolded for over 20 hours, and forced to sit on the floor beneath a freezing air conditioner. He said soldiers repeatedly kicked, punched, or struck him with a stick whenever they took over their guard shifts. Though he does not understand Hebrew, he recalled hearing them mention his name alongside the word "Oscar."