Yuval Abraham, one of the filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," criticized the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for not supporting his co-filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who said he was beaten by Israeli soldiers this week.
"Sadly, the US Academy, which awarded us an Oscar three weeks ago, declined to publicly support Hamdan Ballal while he was beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers and settlers," Abraham wrote Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter. "The European Academy voiced support, as did countless other award groups and festivals. Several US Academy members -- especially in the documentary branch -- pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused. We were told that because other Palestinians were beaten up in the settler attack, it could be considered unrelated to the film, so they felt no need to respond."
He continued, writing that Ballal was "clearly targeted" for making "No Other Land," a documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for being Palestinian.
"This, it seems, gave the Academy an excuse to remain silent when a filmmaker they honored, living under Israeli occupation, needed them the most," Abraham wrote. "It's not too late to change this stance. Even now, issuing a statement condemning the attack on Hamdan and the Masafer Yatta community would send a meaningful message and serve as a deterrent for the future."
The Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ballal told The Associated Press on Tuesday that an Israeli settler kicked his head "like a football" during an attack on his village Monday night. He said soldiers detained him and two other Palestinians and kept them blindfolded for more than 20 hours. He said they kicked, punched and hit him with a stick, and he could hear them saying his name and the word "Oscar."
"I realized they were attacking me specifically," Ballal told the AP. "When they say 'Oscar,' you understand. When they say your name, you understand."
Members of the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Boston Society of Film Critics said in a statement they are "gravely concerned" for Ballal's health and safety and are "infuriated" that Ballal's "advocacy" filmmaking made him a target.
"One of the most powerful aspects of 'No Other Land' -- and the reason so many have tried, in vain, to limit its reach and silence its message -- is that it is itself a rare feat of collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and artists, united by their belief in dignity and equality for all," the statement reads. "By the very nature of its form and creation, the film represents, and dares to imagine, a more peaceful future. We applaud Mr. Ballal and his colleagues for the courage and artistry with which they have advanced that vision and affirm that it will never be forgotten."
Earlier this month, "No Other Land" won Best Documentary Feature Film at the Academy Awards, and during his viral acceptance speech, Abraham called out American foreign policy, saying it is blocking a path to freedom for Palestinians. He said he is "free under civilian law" and his co-filmmaker Basel Adra, who is Palestinian, isn't.
"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," Abraham said. "There is a different path, a political solution. Without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people."