Israeli-Palestinian Production Wins Best Docu Feature At Oscars 2025
The cast and crew of 'No Other Land' during their Oscars 2025 acceptance speech (Photo: @letterboxd/X)
The documentary “No Other Land,” which highlights the displacement of a Palestinian community by Israeli forces, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature on Sunday. In their acceptance speech, the directors called on the international community to take action to resolve the conflict and accused the United States of hindering a resolution.
Co-directed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, the film is the result of five years of work. It depicts Israeli soldiers demolishing homes, evicting residents to create a military training zone, and the expansion of Jewish settlements into Palestinian territories.
The documentary contrasts the vastly different experiences of the two co-directors: Abraham, an Israeli citizen, enjoys unrestricted movement with his yellow license plate, while Adra, a Palestinian, faces restrictions as his community’s land continues to diminish.
“No Other Land reflects the harsh reality we have endured for decades, and we continue to resist while calling on the world to take meaningful action to end the injustice and stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” Adra stated during the award acceptance.
Abraham, standing beside him, emphasized their collaborative effort in creating the film. “We made this film as Palestinians and Israelis because our voices are stronger together. We witness the horrific destruction in Gaza, which must end, and the Israeli hostages taken in the October 7 attack, who must be freed,” he said.
He also addressed the systemic inequality between them: “When I look at Basel, I see my brother — but we are not equal. I live under civilian law with freedom, while Basel lives under military law that controls and destroys his life.”
Abraham called for a different path forward, advocating for a political solution that ensures equal rights for both peoples and rejecting any form of ethnic dominance. He criticized US foreign policy, stating, “The policies of this country are helping to block the path to peace. But can’t you see that we are connected? My people can only be truly safe when Basel’s people are also free and secure. There is another way. It’s not too late to choose life.”
Despite the documentary’s success at major film festivals in Europe and the US, it has not yet secured a distribution deal in the United States. Abraham suggested that political considerations might be behind the reluctance of US distributors. “I believe it’s clear that it’s for political reasons. I hope that changes,” he said, adding that instead of waiting for a theatrical release, the filmmakers chose to screen the documentary independently in nearly 100 theaters.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Palestinians should emigrate from Gaza to Egypt or Jordan has been widely condemned across the Middle East and beyond, with critics warning that such a move could lead to destabilizing consequences.
