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=== Berlinale ===
=== Berlinale ===
At the [[74th Berlin International Film Festival]], ''No Other Land'' won the Berlinale Documentary Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film.<ref name="winpa:hr" /> During their acceptance speeches for the Berlinale Documentary Award, Abraham criticized the Israeli goverments saying:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Axelrod |first=Toby |date=2024-02-26 |title=Israeli journalist criticizes West Bank 'apartheid' at Berlin film festival ceremony marked by Gaza war protests |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/02/26/global/israeli-journalist-criticizes-west-bank-apartheid-at-berlin-film-festival-ceremony-marked-by-gaza-war-protests |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
The [[74th Berlin International Film Festival]] featured numerous [[Palestinian nationalism|pro-Palestine]] protests during the acceptance speeches and red carpet — including from [[Golden Bear]] winner [[Mati Diop]] and the Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers of ''No Other Land'': Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor.<ref name="doc:cine" />


{{Quote|text=We are standing in front of you now, me and Basel are the same age. I am Israeli; Basel is Palestinian. And in two days we will go back to a land where we are not equal. I am living under a civilian law and Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another, but I have voting rights. Basel is not having voting rights. I’m free to move where I want in this land. Basel is, like millions of Palestinians, locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end.}}
Following the closing ceremony on 25 February 2024, an [[Instagram]] account linked to the Panorama section published an allegedly official statement from the Festival organizers, demanding German authorities to [[arms embargo|withdraw its arms supplies]] to Israel. Shortly afterwards, the [[Berlinale]]'s main Instagram account stated that the Panorama account had been hacked, and announced plans to “file criminal charges against unknown persons”.<ref>{{cite news |last=Frater |first=Patrick |date=2024-02-26 |title=Berlin Film Festival Files Criminal Charges After Anti-Semitic Hacking, Criticizes Award-Winner Statements |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/berlin-festival-anti-semitic-hacking-award-winner-statements-1235923611/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>


⚫
The numerous [[Palestinian nationalism|pro-Palestine]] protests during the acceptance speeches and red carpet — including from [[Golden Bear]] winner [[Mati Diop]].<ref name="doc:cine" />
⚫
[[Governing Mayor of Berlin|Berlin Mayor]], [[Kai Wegner]], and numerous others German politicians expressed outrage, calling the speeches "anti-semitic", with Wegner stating on [[Twitter]] that "Berlin is firmly on Israel’s side."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ntim |first=Zac |date=2024-02-26 |title=Berlin Mayor Criticizes "Anti-Semitic" Berlinale Closing Ceremony As Hackers Post Ceasefire Message To Fest's Social |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/berlin-film-festival-hackers-gaza-ceasefire-kai-wegner-anti-semitism-1235838268/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Even though the Festival is mainly funded by the [[Cabinet of Germany|German government]], the organizers affirmed the "filmmakers' statements were independent and should be accepted as long as they respect the [[legality of Holocaust denial#Germany|legal framework]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-26 |title=Berlinale film festival marred by 'antisemitic' protests |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/02/26/berlinale-film-festival-marred-by-antisemitic-protests |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[euronews]] |lang=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vicente |first=Álex |date=2024-02-20 |title=The Berlinale on the war front: How the Israel–Palestine conflict undermined the film festival |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-20/the-berlinale-on-the-war-front-how-the-israel-palestine-conflict-undermined-the-film-festival.html |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[El País]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

⚫
[[Governing Mayor of Berlin|Berlin Mayor]], [[Kai Wegner]], and numerous others German politicians expressed outrage, calling the speeches "anti-semitic", with Wegner stating on [[Twitter]] that "Berlin is firmly on Israel’s side."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ntim |first=Zac |date=2024-02-26 |title=Berlin Mayor Criticizes "Anti-Semitic" Berlinale Closing Ceremony As Hackers Post Ceasefire Message To Fest's Social |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/berlin-film-festival-hackers-gaza-ceasefire-kai-wegner-anti-semitism-1235838268/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Even though the Festival is mainly funded by the [[Cabinet of Germany|German government]], the organizers affirmed the "filmmakers' statements were independent and should be accepted as long as they respect the [[legality of Holocaust denial#Germany|legal framework]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-26 |title=Berlinale film festival marred by 'antisemitic' protests |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/02/26/berlinale-film-festival-marred-by-antisemitic-protests |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[euronews]] |lang=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vicente |first=Álex |date=2024-02-20 |title=The Berlinale on the war front: How the Israel–Palestine conflict undermined the film festival |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-20/the-berlinale-on-the-war-front-how-the-israel-palestine-conflict-undermined-the-film-festival.html |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=[[El País]] |language=en-us}}</ref>


Abraham said to ''[[The Guardian]]'', "To stand on German soil as the son of Holocaust survivors and call for a ceasefire – and to then be labelled as antisemitic is not only outrageous, it is also literally putting Jewish lives in danger,"<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Oltermann |first=Philip |last2=editor |first2=Philip Oltermann European culture |date=2024-02-27 |title=Israeli director receives death threats after officials call Berlin film festival ‘antisemitic’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/27/israeli-director-receives-death-threats-after-officials-call-berlinale-antisemitic |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and reported that his family in Israel had evacuated their home after "a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] Israeli mob"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pita |first=Antonio |date=2024-03-02 |title=‘We will be waiting for you’: Israeli filmmaker targeted by death threats after speech in Berlin |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-02/we-will-be-waiting-for-you-israeli-filmmaker-targeted-by-death-threats-after-speech-in-berlin.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref> came in search of him. He was also concerned for the safety of Adra, who had since returned to the West Bank.<ref name=":0" />
Abraham said to ''[[The Guardian]]'', "To stand on German soil as the son of Holocaust survivors and call for a ceasefire – and to then be labelled as antisemitic is not only outrageous, it is also literally putting Jewish lives in danger,"<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Oltermann |first=Philip |last2=editor |first2=Philip Oltermann European culture |date=2024-02-27 |title=Israeli director receives death threats after officials call Berlin film festival ‘antisemitic’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/27/israeli-director-receives-death-threats-after-officials-call-berlinale-antisemitic |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and reported that his family in Israel had evacuated their home after "a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] Israeli mob"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pita |first=Antonio |date=2024-03-02 |title=‘We will be waiting for you’: Israeli filmmaker targeted by death threats after speech in Berlin |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-02/we-will-be-waiting-for-you-israeli-filmmaker-targeted-by-death-threats-after-speech-in-berlin.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref> came in search of him. He was also concerned for the safety of Adra, who had since returned to the West Bank.<ref name=":0" />

Revision as of 13:01, 6 April 2024

No Other Land
Festival release poster
Directed by
  • Basel Adra
  • Hamdan Ballal
  • Yuval Abraham
  • Rachel Szor
Written by
  • Basel Adra
  • Hamdan Ballal
  • Yuval Abraham
  • Rachel Szor
Produced by
  • Fabien Greenberg
  • Bård Kjøge Rønning
CinematographyRachel Szor
Edited by
  • Basel Adra
  • Hamdan Ballal
  • Yuval Abraham
  • Rachel Szor
Music byJulius Pollux Rothlaender
Production
companies
  • Yabayay Media
  • Antipode Films
Release date
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • Palestine
  • Norway
Languages
  • Arabic
  • Hebrew
  • English

No Other Land is a 2024 documentary film directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor in their directorial debut. The film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four activists as an act of resistance on the path to justice during the ongoing war in the region.[1][2]

A co-production between Palestine and Norway, the film was selected for the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 16 February 2024,[3] winning the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film,[4] and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award.[5]

Premise

A young Palestinian activist named Basel Adra has been resisting the forced displacement of his people by Israel's military in Masafer Yatta, a region in the West Bank, since he was a child. He records the gradual destruction of his homeland, where Israeli soldiers are tearing down homes and evicting their inhabitants. He befriends Yuval, an Israeli journalist who helps him in his struggle. They form an unexpected bond, but their friendship is challenged by the huge gap between their living conditions: Basel faces constant oppression and violence, while Yuval enjoys freedom and security.

Production

In an interview at the Berlinale, Adra and Abraham spoke with Variety about the film.

Basel Adra spoke about development of the film. He said, "Yuval and Rachel, who are Israelis, came five years ago to write about things — Yuval is journalist — we met and we became friends but also activists together, working on articles about the area." He further said, "And then we got the idea of doing this, of creating this movie."

About filming Abraham said:[6]

Basal’s family and neighbors had a huge archive of videos that were filmed over the course of 20 years. And then we as activists, we were there on the ground together, working together for almost five years, and we filmed a lot. We had Rachel, the cinematographer and co-director of the film, who was shooting us. So there was an abundance of footage. The military entered Basal’s home twice and confiscated computers and cameras. So we were always very, very stressed. It was complicated logistically and quite stressful, but in the end we managed.

Release

No Other Land had its world premiere on 16 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Panorama.[7][8]

The film will have its international premiere at Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival on 15 March 2024 in the section "Urgent Matters" and the theme "Conflicted" themes.[9]

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews.[10] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim".[11]

Olivia Popp, reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa, wrote: "No Other Land is at its best when it achieves cinematographic mobility, the camera acting as an extension of this activist interrogation of violent Israeli occupation and not as a detached observer."[12]

Lovia Gyarkye reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter dubbed it as "A devastating portrait," and opined, "The film is not a document of solutions, but it does position itself as a step in the movement toward a future where Palestinians are just as free as Israelis."[13]

Jonathan Romney, reviewing the film at Berlinale, wrote in ScreenDaily: "A documentary that is particularly urgent and eye-opening in the context of the current Israeli–Palestinian conflict."[14]

Guy Lodge writing in Variety said, "Given the conditions of its production, No Other Land would be vital even in a more ragged form. But the filmmaking here is tight and considered..."[15]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire reviewing at Berlinale graded the film A and wrote, "The footage is out there, and it’s rarely been assembled into a more concise, powerful, and damning array than it is here. Now it only has to be seen."[16]

Writing for RogerEbert.com, Robert Daniels said, "In the hands of these filmmakers the camera becomes a weapon for truth and resistance, and a tool for conservation — recording some proof that their village existed".[17]

Accolades

Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham, Berlinale Documentary Award
Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 25 February 2024 Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film No Other Land Won [7][4]
Berlinale Documentary Film Award Won [18][5][19]
Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival 22 March 2024 Audience Award Won [20]

Berlinale

At the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, No Other Land won the Berlinale Documentary Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film.[4] During their acceptance speeches for the Berlinale Documentary Award, Abraham criticized the Israeli goverments saying:[21]

We are standing in front of you now, me and Basel are the same age. I am Israeli; Basel is Palestinian. And in two days we will go back to a land where we are not equal. I am living under a civilian law and Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another, but I have voting rights. Basel is not having voting rights. I’m free to move where I want in this land. Basel is, like millions of Palestinians, locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end.

The Berlinale also featured other numerous pro-Palestine protests during the acceptance speeches and red carpet — including from Golden Bear winner Mati Diop.[5]

Following the closing ceremony on 25 February 2024, an Instagram account linked to the Panorama section published an allegedly official statement from the Festival organizers, demanding German authorities to withdraw its arms supplies to Israel. Shortly afterwards, the Berlinale's main Instagram account stated that the Panorama account had been hacked, and announced plans to “file criminal charges against unknown persons”.[22] Berlin Mayor, Kai Wegner, and numerous others German politicians expressed outrage, calling the speeches "anti-semitic", with Wegner stating on Twitter that "Berlin is firmly on Israel’s side."[23] Even though the Festival is mainly funded by the German government, the organizers affirmed the "filmmakers' statements were independent and should be accepted as long as they respect the legal framework".[24][25]

Abraham said to The Guardian, "To stand on German soil as the son of Holocaust survivors and call for a ceasefire – and to then be labelled as antisemitic is not only outrageous, it is also literally putting Jewish lives in danger,"[26] and reported that his family in Israel had evacuated their home after "a right-wing Israeli mob"[27] came in search of him. He was also concerned for the safety of Adra, who had since returned to the West Bank.[26]

References

  1. ^ The film shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank's Masafer Yatta community by Israeli soldiers. Adra, Basel (22 January 2024). "No Other Land". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ^ Dijksterhuis, Edo. "Camera as a weapon of proof". International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (17 January 2024). "The Panorama strand of the Berlinale to open with Levan Akin's Crossing". Cineuropa. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Roxborough, Scott (24 February 2024). "Berlin: Memories of a Burning Body, No Other Land Win Panorama Audience Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Abbatescianni, Davide (24 February 2024). "Mati Diop's Dahomey bags the Berlinale Golden Bear". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  6. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (16 February 2024). "Palestinian, Israeli Activists Talk No Other Land Doc on Eradication of Palestinian Villages and Hopes It Can Help 'Find a Political Solution'". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (17 January 2024). "Berlinale Unveils Full Panorama, Forum & Generation Line-Ups With New Films By Nathan Silver, Levan Akin, André Téchiné & Bruce LaBruce". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  8. ^ "No Other Land". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  9. ^ "No Other Land: Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra & Hamdan Bilal / Palestine / 2024 / International Premiere / 95 min". CPH:DOX. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  10. ^ "No Other Land (2024, Documentary)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  11. ^ "No Other Land". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  12. ^ Popp, Olivia (18 February 2024). "Review: No Other Land". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  13. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (20 February 2024). "No Other Land Review: A Sobering Doc Chronicles Violent Evictions of Palestinians in the West Bank". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  14. ^ Romney, Jonathan (17 February 2024). "No Other Land: Berlin Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  15. ^ Guy Lodge (23 February 2024). "No Other land Review: A Frank, Devastating Protest Against Israel's West Bank Occupation". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  16. ^ Ehrlich, David (23 February 2024). "No Other Land Review: A Vital and Wrenching Doc About Israel's Barbaric Efforts to Expel a Palestinian Community". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  17. ^ Daniels, Robert (21 February 2024). "Berlin Film Festival 2024: Abiding Nowhere, Pepe, No Other Land". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Berlinale Documentary Award and Jury". Berlinale. 24 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ^ Roxborough, Scott (24 February 2024). "Mati Diop Doc Dahomey Wins Berlin Golden Bear". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  20. ^ Carey, Matthew (22 March 2024). "'The Flats' And 'No Other Land' Land Big Honors at CPH:DOX". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  21. ^ Axelrod, Toby (26 February 2024). "Israeli journalist criticizes West Bank 'apartheid' at Berlin film festival ceremony marked by Gaza war protests". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  22. ^ Frater, Patrick (26 February 2024). "Berlin Film Festival Files Criminal Charges After Anti-Semitic Hacking, Criticizes Award-Winner Statements". Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  23. ^ Ntim, Zac (26 February 2024). "Berlin Mayor Criticizes "Anti-Semitic" Berlinale Closing Ceremony As Hackers Post Ceasefire Message To Fest's Social". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Berlinale film festival marred by 'antisemitic' protests". euronews. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  25. ^ Vicente, Álex (20 February 2024). "The Berlinale on the war front: How the Israel–Palestine conflict undermined the film festival". El País. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  26. ^ a b Oltermann, Philip; editor, Philip Oltermann European culture (27 February 2024). "Israeli director receives death threats after officials call Berlin film festival 'antisemitic'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 March 2024. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ Pita, Antonio (2 March 2024). "'We will be waiting for you': Israeli filmmaker targeted by death threats after speech in Berlin". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
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