Academy Award Winner: Best Documentary

Showtimes March 7 - 13:

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, No Other Land may be one of the most urgent films of the year. As one of the filmmakers, Yuval Abraham, said in his acceptance speech, “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger.” Offering an essential and unflinching look at life under Israeli military occupation, this is an elegantly assembled film that leaves traces of hope for a better future.

Basel Adra grew up in the village of Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank. His early memories include watching Israeli soldiers raid his home; seeing his father Nasser, a Palestinian activist, being arrested; and witnessing settler aggression against his community. By picking up his camera, Adra continually speaks truth to power, tirelessly documenting impending forced removals, bulldozers destroying homes, and the violence that inevitably follows.

This film takes place prior to October 7, 2023, when attention to the region was in shorter supply. The result of a combined effort between Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, it was made under extreme duress and unimaginable production hardships. At the center of the film, Adra and Abraham not only strike up an alliance but a strong friendship, though it is clear that their bond is not one grounded in equity, with Adra living under occupation and Abraham granted freedom of movement. Yet the relationship that develops between the two – showing deep care, humanity, and above all how solidarity can break down barriers, even during occupation – is at the heart of this piece.

(Palestine, Norway / 2024 / Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, & Hamdan Ballal)
Unrated / 1 hr 32 mins
In English, Arabic, and Hebrew with subtitles