Collaboration Between Israeli and Palestinian Filmmakers Triumphs at Oscars
No Other Land Surpasses Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Black Box Diaries, and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
No Other Land, a documentary highlighting the struggle of Palestinians to protect their homes from demolition by Israel’s military, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
The joint effort by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers triumphed on Sunday, beating out competitors such as Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Black Box Diaries, and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.
Produced between 2019 and 2023, the film follows activist Basel Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, Masafer Yatta, located in the southern West Bank. Israeli forces are demolishing the area to convert it into a military training zone.
Adra’s appeals initially went unheard until he teamed up with Yuval Abraham, a Jewish-Israeli journalist, who helped amplify his story.
In his acceptance speech, Adra stated that No Other Land reflects the harsh reality Palestinians have endured for decades.
“About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope for my daughter is that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now—always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions, and forcible displacements that my community faces every day under Israeli occupation,” he said.
He also urged the world to “take serious actions to stop the injustice and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
#Oscars2025 🇵🇸 @basel_adra: “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.” #NoOtherLand
— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) March 3, 2025
‘Together, Our Voices Are Stronger’
Abraham emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating that their collective voice was more powerful.
“We see each other: the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end. Israeli hostages, brutally taken in the crime of October 7th, must be freed,” he said.
He criticized the Israeli regime for destroying Adra’s life and called for a “political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our peoples.” However, he noted that U.S. foreign policy is hindering such progress.
“Can’t you see that we’re intertwined—that my people can only truly be safe if Basel’s people are truly free and safe? There is another way. It’s not too late for life for the living. There is no other way,” he added.
The film faced challenges finding a distributor in the U.S., so its creators arranged a one-week screening at New York’s Lincoln Center in November to qualify for the Oscars.
This win marks another milestone for No Other Land, which has already garnered significant accolades, including the Audience Award and Documentary Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, as well as the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film.
The documentary relies heavily on Adra’s personal camcorder footage, capturing Israeli soldiers bulldozing the village school and filling water wells with cement to prevent reconstruction. It also shows residents rallying together after 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.
@yuval_abraham: When I look at @basel_adra, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law, and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life—laws he cannot control. There is a different path… U.S. foreign policy is helping block it.
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) March 3, 2025
A Growing Crisis in the West Bank
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in the occupied West Bank, which is home to approximately three million Palestinians. While settlers enjoy Israeli citizenship, Palestinians live under military rule, with the Palestinian Authority administering population centers.
Major human rights organizations have described the situation as apartheid, an accusation the Israeli government denies. Israel views the West Bank as the historical and biblical heartland of the Jewish people and opposes Palestinian statehood.
No Other Land continues to shed light on these pressing issues, amplifying the voices of those directly affected.
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