Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
No Other Land
No Other Land (Arabic: لا أرض أخرى, romanized: Lā arḍ ukhrá) is a 2024 documentary film directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor, in their directorial debut. A Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists, the four conceived and produced the film in what they describe as an act of resistance on the path to justice in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The film was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, which had been resisting forced displacement after an Israeli "firing zone" was declared on their land.
A co-production between Palestine and Norway, the film was selected for the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 16 February 2024, winning the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award. The film also won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist, has been resisting the forced displacement of his people by Israel's military in Masafer Yatta, a region in the occupied West Bank, since he was a child. He records the gradual destruction of his homeland, where Israeli soldiers are tearing down homes and evicting their inhabitants to enforce a court order maintaining that the area's designation as an Israeli military firing zone was legal under Israeli law. He befriends Yuval Abraham, a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps him in his struggle. They form an unexpected bond, but their friendship is challenged by the huge gap between their living conditions: Adra faces constant oppression and violence, while Abraham enjoys freedom and security.
The film follows Adra and the residents of Masafer Yatta as they confront Israeli forces carrying out demolition orders. During one such confrontation, Masafer Yatta resident Harun Abu Aram is shot by an Israeli soldier and paralyzed from the neck down while trying to prevent them from stealing his electric generator. Due to the destruction of his home, which was illegal under Israeli law, he is forced to live in a cave. Abu Aram eventually dies as a result of his injuries and inability to receive proper care.
Abraham attempts to raise awareness of the situation in Masafer Yatta, with limited results. Adra chides him for wanting results too quickly and tells Abraham to be patient. Adra ponders the limits of raising awareness, rhetorically asking Abraham what will happen after people see the footage they've captured.
The film ends by showing Adra's cousin Zakaria al-Adra, who was unarmed, being shot by an Israeli settler in the days following the October 7 attacks.
In an interview at the Berlinale, Adra and Abraham spoke with Variety about the film. Adra said of its development, "Yuval and Rachel, who are Israelis, came five years ago to write about things—Yuval is journalist. We met and we became friends but also activists together, working on articles about the area. [...] And then we got the idea of doing this, of creating this movie."
About filming, Abraham said:
No Other Land
No Other Land (Arabic: لا أرض أخرى, romanized: Lā arḍ ukhrá) is a 2024 documentary film directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor, in their directorial debut. A Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists, the four conceived and produced the film in what they describe as an act of resistance on the path to justice in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The film was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, which had been resisting forced displacement after an Israeli "firing zone" was declared on their land.
A co-production between Palestine and Norway, the film was selected for the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 16 February 2024, winning the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award. The film also won Best Documentary Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist, has been resisting the forced displacement of his people by Israel's military in Masafer Yatta, a region in the occupied West Bank, since he was a child. He records the gradual destruction of his homeland, where Israeli soldiers are tearing down homes and evicting their inhabitants to enforce a court order maintaining that the area's designation as an Israeli military firing zone was legal under Israeli law. He befriends Yuval Abraham, a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps him in his struggle. They form an unexpected bond, but their friendship is challenged by the huge gap between their living conditions: Adra faces constant oppression and violence, while Abraham enjoys freedom and security.
The film follows Adra and the residents of Masafer Yatta as they confront Israeli forces carrying out demolition orders. During one such confrontation, Masafer Yatta resident Harun Abu Aram is shot by an Israeli soldier and paralyzed from the neck down while trying to prevent them from stealing his electric generator. Due to the destruction of his home, which was illegal under Israeli law, he is forced to live in a cave. Abu Aram eventually dies as a result of his injuries and inability to receive proper care.
Abraham attempts to raise awareness of the situation in Masafer Yatta, with limited results. Adra chides him for wanting results too quickly and tells Abraham to be patient. Adra ponders the limits of raising awareness, rhetorically asking Abraham what will happen after people see the footage they've captured.
The film ends by showing Adra's cousin Zakaria al-Adra, who was unarmed, being shot by an Israeli settler in the days following the October 7 attacks.
In an interview at the Berlinale, Adra and Abraham spoke with Variety about the film. Adra said of its development, "Yuval and Rachel, who are Israelis, came five years ago to write about things—Yuval is journalist. We met and we became friends but also activists together, working on articles about the area. [...] And then we got the idea of doing this, of creating this movie."
About filming, Abraham said: