At the 97th Academy Awards, the Palestinian documentary No Other Land won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
The documentary shows the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian people living in Masafer Yatta, a region in the West Bank where residents have been forcibly evicted by Israeli forces.
Palestinian journalist Basel Adra co-directed the documentary with Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. The docu captures the resilience and resistance of Palestinians living under occupation in Masafer Yatta, and the friendship between Adra and Abraham, two journalists on opposite sides of the conflict who come together to tell the truth to the world.
The film has already won international acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival. And although it didn’t have an easy road to the Oscars due to limited distribution in the US, it eventually won. It’s emotional storytelling and raw footage of the truth made an immense impact worldwide.
Adra and Abraham gracefully accepted the Oscar, giving a very moving and emotional speech. They called for peace in their homeland. Their words have impacted people around the world and brought the focus back to what is important: attention to what is happening in Palestine and the ongoing struggle that Palestinians face every day.
This victory is a truly historic moment. No Other Land is not only telling the story of the Palestinians, but also showing the world that people should be informed about the occupation and what is really going on in Palestine.
Congratulations to Adra and Abraham and the whole team for winning this historic Oscar.