NEW YORK — The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued an apology Friday for their inadequate initial response to the assault on Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of “No Other Land.” The statement came after Ballal was attacked by Israeli settlers and subsequently detained by military forces in the West Bank.
Ballal’s ordeal began just weeks after his documentary, which highlights the struggles of a Palestinian village, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. His brutal treatment prompted an outcry from various film industry groups and personalities, criticizing the academy’s delayed and vague initial reaction to the incident.
In a letter addressed to its members, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang expressed their regret for not directly acknowledging Ballal’s assault sooner. On Monday, the day of the attack, Ballal was reported to have been beaten before being taken into custody by Israeli forces. Eyewitnesses have vehemently denied accusations that Ballal and two other Palestinians were involved in throwing stones at settlers.
Friday’s meeting of the academy’s board of governors led to a revised statement. “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world. We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances,” wrote Kramer and Yang to the academy members.
The academy’s initial response was scrutinized earlier in the week by over 600 of its 11,000 members. They penned an open letter criticizing the original statement as insufficient given the severity of the attack on Ballal. Notables such as actors Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman, and filmmakers like Jonathan Glazer were among the signatories demanding a stronger response.
Journalist and co-director of “No Other Land,” Yuval Abraham, pointedly dubbed the early academy statement as too much akin to silence on Hamdan’s assault, spurring further debate on the responsibilities of cultural institutions in socio-political conflicts.
Following his release after more than 20 hours in detention, Ballal, recovering in a West Bank hospital, shared harrowing details of his ordeal, claiming a settler had kicked his head “like a football.” He described the targeted nature of the assault, recognizing the personal and violent intentions when his attackers mentioned his Oscar accolade.
“No Other Land,” a joint Israeli-Palestinian venture, provides an account of life in Masafer Yatta, a region designated by the Israeli military as a live-fire training area in the 1980s. Today, despite forced evictions and the threat of home demolitions, around 1,000 Arab Bedouin residents continue to live there.
The film has garnered international attention not only for its critical acclaim but also for the continued socio-political relevance of its subject matter. Despite challenges in securing a U.S. distributor, “No Other Land” has grossed over $2 million in North American theaters after opting for a self-distribution approach.
The incident involving Ballal underscores ongoing tensions in the region and the intersecting challenges of free expression, artistic freedom, and human rights. The academy’s renewed stance aims to realign itself with core values championing artistic freedom and condemning violence against artists worldwide.