Creators of 'No Other Land' urge to end Gaza's ethnic cleansing at Oscars

While receiving the Oscar award for Best Documentary, the directors of ‘No Other Land’ appealed to the world community to take serious actions to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. 

 

“We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” Basel Adra, a Palestinian journalist and activist, said during his acceptance speech at the Oscars ceremony 2025. He is one of the directors of the documentary with Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor. 

 

#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 pic.twitter.com/2yVfryoAWC

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) March 3, 2025

He further mentioned, “About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter is that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now. No Other Land reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist.”  READ: Oscar 2025 Full Winners List 

 

 

Need for the collaboration between Israelis and Palestinians

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham emphasised that the film showcases Israeli-Palestinian collaboration, expressing hope that their united voices can help bring an end to the conflict.

 

He said, “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger. We see each other, the destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end, the Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of October 7, which must be freed.”  READ: Oscars 2025: 'Anora' stuns with five wins, Adrien Brody wins best actor

 

While discussing the inequalities between them, Abraham said, “We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control.”

 

“There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people,” he added.

 

Abraham also questioned the US foreign policy towards the Gaza conflict. He said, “Why can’t you see that we are intertwined, that my people can be truly safe if Basel’s people are truly free and safe?”

 

 

 

‘No Other Land’: A documentary on Palestine

 

The documentary No Other Land won the Oscar for Best Documentary on Sunday. It tells the story of Palestinian activists trying to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their communities.

 

The film, made by both Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, follows activist Basel Adra. He risks arrest to film the destruction of his hometown in the southern West Bank, which Israeli soldiers are clearing to use as a military training zone. At first, no one listens to him, but then he meets a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps spread his story.

 

No Other Land was a strong contender after doing well at film festivals. It was picked up for distribution in 24 countries but did not find a US distributor. It won the Oscar against Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Black Box Diaries, and Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat.

 

The documentary was filmed over four years, from 2019 to 2023. Production finished just days before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.

 

[With inputs from agencies]