Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of No Other Land, recounted his brutal attack and capture by Israeli settlers, saying he was mocked for his accolade amid his kidnapping. Calling the incident the “worst moment of my life,” the filmmaker urged continued international attention on Palestine and the “near-daily violence” its residents experience.
In a heartfelt New York Times op-ed titled “My Oscar for ‘No Other Land’ Didn’t Protect Me From Violence,” Ballal described the disillusionment he felt accepting an award on “one of the world’s most important stages” and afterward returning home to his Masafer Yatta region to see that he and his community were “still trapped in the same grinding loop of violence and subjugation.”
“In an instant, it was as if the Oscars had never happened, as if the award didn’t mean anything,” he recalled of the attack.
Ballal wrote that the attack occurred on a “typical Ramadan evening” in late March. When his neighbor informed him settlers were attacking, he rushed to document the scene, later retreating once the crowd grew and he worried for his family’s safety. When Ballal saw the soldiers — whom he recognized — coming toward him, he ushered his wife and three young children inside, instructing her to not open the door, no matter what.
“They met me outside the door of my home and started beating and cursing me,” he wrote of the harrowing experience, “mocking me as the ‘Oscar-winning filmmaker.’ I felt guns bashing my ribs. Someone punched me in the head from behind. I fell to the ground. I was kicked and spat on. I felt immense pain and fear. I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away. It was the worst moment of my life. My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died.”
The helmer said he was handcuffed, blindfolded and tossed into an army jeep, and spent hours like that at an army base. He was released a day later. “The attack on me and my community was brutal. It received large amounts of press coverage, but it is not unique in any way,” he stated.
Ballal added that his community “does not know only violence,” emphasizing the togetherness and vibrant livelihood in the villages around his native Susiya. “The landscape here is beautiful and wide. Year after year, we plant the land and graze our sheep in the fields. Our mornings start with a cup of tea drunk at sunrise while the flocks enjoy the dew that is still fresh on the grass. The day continues with tending the land, caring for the animals, milking the sheep and goats and preparing the food and goods from our labor. The whole family and the whole village are involved in this daily work together, helping and supporting one another.”
However, he said the threat of attacks result in ever-present feelings of fear and loss, and that despite his Oscar victory, he felt “heartbreak” and “disappointment” from the sense of “powerlessness.”
“Three weeks earlier, on the Oscar stage, I had a taste of power and possibility,” Ballal wrote. “But even though our movie received global recognition, I felt I had failed — we had failed — in our attempt to make life better here. To convince the world something needed to change. My life is still at the mercy of the settlers and the occupation. My community is still suffering from unending violence. Our movie won an Oscar, but our lives are no better than before.”
The director ended his op-ed with a call to action, saying he felt “hope” from the response No Other Land garnered. “I know that there are thousands and thousands of people who now know my name and my story, who know my community’s name and our story and who stand with us and support us. Don’t turn away now,” he concluded.
No Other Land, which documents the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers, was spearheaded by a Palestinian-Israeli collective exploring the alliance between co-directors Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist. Rachel Szor, an Israeli director, also helmed the project, which still lacks U.S. distribution and has weathered threats toward cinemas screening it.
The capture of Ballal was first publicized by Abraham, who later censured the Academy’s response to the attack, as the body refused to unequivocally denounce the violence. Holding an urgent meeting on the ensuing backlash, AMPAS apologized for the vague letter it released about the matter — which did not even mention Ballal by name — after more than 900 leading members of the Academy condemned the tepid move and called for a stronger response in support of Ballal.
Afterward, the collective drafted a joint letter thanking the Academy members for coming to Ballal’s defense, writing, “We wanted to briefly share with you that Hamdan’s physical condition has improved over the past few days and he is at home with his children. The letter you wrote in support of him has been deeply moving for us personally, and also important politically, especially as the attacks on the Masafer Yatta community continue every day. At a time when we felt ignored by the Academy it meant a lot to read your letter and know we are not alone.”