At the 97th Academy Awards, No Other Land took home the Oscar for Best Documentary, highlighting the devastating impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian lives, specifically in the village of Masafer Yatta. Directed by Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra and Israeli director Yuval Abraham, the film is a poignant exploration of the oppression faced by Palestinians living under Israeli military rule. In a heartfelt acceptance speech, Adra shared, “About two months ago, I became a father, and I hope that my daughter will not have to live the same life I am living now. Always fearing surveillance, home demolition, displacement, that my community, Masafer Yatta, is living and facing every day under Israeli occupation. No other land reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the world to take serious action to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.” Abraham, too, emphasized the shared responsibility of both Palestinians and Israelis in confronting the horrors unfolding in Gaza. “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger. We see each other, the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end,” he remarked, asserting, “When I look at Basel, 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 law that has destroyed his life and that he can not control. There is a different path, a political situation, without ethnic supremacy and national rights for both of our people.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Express Tribune (@etribune) The film’s win has sparked discussions around the complexities of Palestinian-Israeli film collaborations, with some critics, such as Mohammed el-Kurd, arguing that such partnerships risk reducing meaningful activism to a mere “fantasy.” “No one – not the producer of the festival, not the columnist writing a review – seems to care about the content of the film, whether it is good or garbage. What matters is that the film was co-directed, a mode that satisfied a libidinal urge in the viewers,” he writes in Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal. No Other Land’s win comes at a time of heightened tension, with Israel cutting off aid to Gaza and blocking crucial resources like temporary housing for refugees. Last week, this decision led to the tragic death of six children who succumbed to hypothermia during an intense cold spell. While the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues to unfold on the global stage, No Other Land serves as a stark reminder of the urgency for change and the ongoing fight for justice in the region.
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