Islamonweb

The documentary No Other Land won the Oscar for Best Documentary, bringing global attention to the struggles of Palestinian communities facing forced displacement in the occupied West Bank. The film, produced between 2019 and 2023, captures the devastation inflicted on Masafer Yatta, a region in the southern West Bank, through the lens of Palestinian activist Basel Adra. Using personal camcorder footage, Adra documents the Israeli military’s demolition of homes, schools, and essential infrastructure in the area.

Directed by Adra alongside Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and filmmakers Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor, the documentary portrays the relentless destruction faced by Palestinian villagers. Israeli forces have systematically razed homes and filled water wells with cement, leaving residents unable to rebuild. The Israeli military has long sought to expel the community, citing the area as a designated training zone, despite families having lived there for generations.

During his Oscar acceptance speech, Adra described the film as a reflection of the harsh reality endured by his people and called for international action against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Abraham, acknowledging the systemic inequality, highlighted how he, as an Israeli, lives freely under civilian law while Adra remains subjected to military rule. The film’s success is seen as a victory not just for the filmmakers but for the entire Palestinian struggle.

Despite its critical acclaim, No Other Land has faced hurdles in distribution, with major U.S. studios and streaming platforms showing little interest in picking it up. Last year, Netflix removed 24 Palestinian films from its archive, fueling accusations that Hollywood and the U.S. media suppress Palestinian narratives. In response, the filmmakers have independently arranged theatrical screenings across 100 venues in the U.S.

For Basel Adra, filmmaking became a form of resistance. Having witnessed Israeli attacks since childhood, he turned to his camera to document the destruction of his community. The film presents powerful imagery of bulldozers flattening villages, peaceful protests met with violence, and unarmed civilians subjected to military aggression.