The award of Oscar for the documentary "We Don't Want Another Land" became 1 of the most controversial moments of this year's gala. The film, describing the destiny of Palestinians on the occupied West Bank, sparked strong opposition from Israeli Minister of Culture, Miki Zohar, who described the award as “anti-Israeli sabotage”.
"A Sad Day for planet Cinema" – Israeli Minister's Response
In an emotional entry on platform X, Minister Zohar criticized the film's creators, accusing them of a unilateral presentation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "This is simply a sad day for planet cinema. alternatively of presenting the complexity of Israeli reality, the creators decided to strengthen the communicative of the distorted image of Israel before the global audience," he wrote.
Zohar stressed that although he appreciates freedom of expression, “the defamation of Israel for global fame is not art but sabotage against the Israeli state.” His words echoed widely in the media, especially in the context of the conflict in the mediate East over the years.
“We don’t want another land” – a communicative about force and friendship
The movie “We Don't Want Another Land” is simply a moving paper that depicts the destiny of Palestinians in the West Bank, focusing on the inhabitants of the Masafer Jatta region. The creators – Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Juwal Abraham and Rachel Szor – showed the forced displacement of hundreds of people by the Israeli army and the accompanying judicial battle.
The ultimate Court of Israel found evictions legal, which was met with criticism from human rights organizations. The paper shows not only the hard reality of Palestinians, but besides the relationship between Basel Adra, Palestinian with Masafer Jatta, and Juwal Abraham, judaic activist and journalist.
While receiving the award, the creators expressed their position on the conflict. “There is no tolerance to the reality in which we live. cultural cleansing and injustice must be stopped," Adra said. Abraham added: “We talk together with a stronger voice. The terrible demolition of Gaza should be completed, the hostages must be released."
Why is the movie hard to access in the US?
Despite global awards and favorable reviews, the paper did not receive distribution in the United States. No American distributor has undertaken to distribute it, making the movie almost impossible to watch in this country. However, Israelis and Palestinian territories can see it for free on the creators' website.
Historical and political context
The West Bank of Jordan has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Since the 1990s, the Palestinian Authority has co-ministered part of this area, but the Palestinians are inactive seeking to make an independent state. Israel is regularly accused of violating Palestinian rights, including forced resettlement and land takeover. Almost 3 million Palestinians and about 500,000 judaic settlers live in the West Bank, which further complicates the situation.
International awards and recognition
“We don’t want another land” has already won designation at global festivals, including the award for the best documentary at the Berlin global movie Festival in 2024. Oscar's award confirmed his importance as a voice in the global debate on human rights and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Will the movie change anything in conflict?
The creators believe that their work can change. "The conflict can be resolved by a political method, granting the right to its own state to Palestinians too," Abraham stressed. However, as he noted, U.S. abroad policy is not conducive to specified a solution.
Continued here:
Oskar for “We don’t want another land” causes a storm: Israeli Minister of Culture accuses creators of “anti-Israeli sabotage”
