‘No Other Land’ wins Oscar for finest documentary

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, Related Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “No Other Land,” the story of Palestinian activists combating to guard their communities from demolition by the Israeli army, received the Oscar for finest documentary on Sunday.

The collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers follows activist Basel Adra as he dangers arrest to doc the destruction of his hometown, which Israeli troopers are tearing down to make use of as a army coaching zone, on the southern fringe of the West Financial institution. Adra’s pleas fall on deaf ears till he befriends a Jewish Israeli journalist who helps him amplify his story.

“About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements,” stated Adra.

“No Other Land” got here into the night time a prime contender after a profitable run on the movie pageant circuit. It didn’t, nonetheless, discover a U.S. distributor after being picked up for distribution in 24 international locations. For the Oscar, it beat out “Porcelain War,” “Sugarcane,” “Black Box Diaries” and “Soundtrack to a Coup d’État.”

The documentary was filmed over 4 years between 2019 and 2023, wrapping manufacturing days earlier than Hamas launched its lethal Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel that began the struggle in Gaza.

Within the movie, Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham embeds in a neighborhood combating displacement, however he faces some pushback from Palestinians who level out his privileges as an Israeli citizen. Adra says he’s unable to go away the West Financial institution and is handled like a legal, whereas Abraham can come and go freely.

The movie is closely reliant on camcorder footage from Adra’s private archive. He captures Israeli troopers bulldozing the village college and filling water wells with cement to forestall individuals from rebuilding.

Residents of the small, rugged area of Masafer Yatta band collectively after Adra movies an Israeli soldier taking pictures a neighborhood man who’s protesting the demolition of his house. The person turns into paralyzed, and his mom struggles to handle him whereas dwelling in a cave.

Initially Revealed: March 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM PST