The documentary No Other Land, winner of the Best Documentary award at the Berlin Film Festival, has now claimed another major honor by winning at the Gotham Awards, marking the first big event of Hollywood’s awards season.
The Gotham Awards often spotlight independent films that go on to earn wider recognition. Past winners, such as Past Lives, earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination, while Everything Everywhere All at Once and Nomadland won multiple Oscars after their Gotham success.
No Other Land sheds light on Palestinian journalist Basel Adra’s efforts to protect his West Bank village, Masafer Yatta, from Israeli settlers. Co-directed by Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, the film is a rare Israeli-Palestinian collaboration.
The West Bank, home to around 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers, has seen over 50 square kilometers annexed this year, according to Israeli non-profit Peace Now. This marks a record high for annexations in a single year.
Despite its critical acclaim, No Other Land has yet to secure an American distributor. The documentary drew significant controversy earlier this year when Yuval Abraham criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank during his acceptance speech at the Berlin Film Festival. Calling the situation “apartheid,” Abraham highlighted the stark inequalities between Palestinians and Israelis.
“I live under civilian law, while Basel lives under military law. We’re just 30 minutes apart, but I have voting rights, and he doesn’t,” Abraham stated. “I can move freely, while millions of Palestinians like Basel are confined to the occupied West Bank. This apartheid has to end.”
The speech led to backlash in German media and among politicians, who accused Abraham of anti-Semitism. Israeli media also echoed similar sentiments. Following these events, Abraham faced threats that prevented him from returning home.
“A right-wing mob came to my family’s home searching for me, threatening my family, who had to flee to another town,” Abraham shared on social media. “I’ve received death threats and had to cancel my flight home. Calling for equality and an end to apartheid has been absurdly labeled anti-Semitic.”
The controversy reignited last week when a Berlin government website described the film as having “anti-Semitic tendencies” ahead of its screening in the city. Addressing this, Abraham remarked, “You are weaponizing the term ‘anti-Semitism,’ which holds immense weight for me as a Jewish person.”
This intense debate around No Other Land has not only spotlighted the film’s powerful message but also underlined the complexities of addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in global forums.
