Film on Israeli occupation of Palestine 'No Other Land' nominated for Oscar

A powerful documentary, No Other Land, which sheds light on the harsh realities of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, has been nominated for an Oscar. Previously, the film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

The film was directed by Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian journalist Basel Adra. 

Despite no distribution deal for the film in the US, No Other Land was shortlisted for the Oscar. 

The footage of Adra’s father, an activist, has been added to the movie, where he was seen confronting Israeli soldiers and settlers to stall the appropriation of Palestinian land.

Last year, the movie received the Documentary Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

During their acceptance speech, Abraham and Adra voiced their frustration over the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

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"I am free to move where I want in this land, but Basel, like millions of Palestinians, is locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end," Middle East Eye quoted Abraham. 

Subsequently, Abraham’s comments were severely condemned by the German Culture establishment and politicians; however, Berlin’s official portal also received backlash. 

The criticism did not deter Abraham. In November, he told Middle East Eye that Germany's harsh stance against pro-Palestinian voices was complicating life for Jews and Israelis who wanted an end to the atrocities in Gaza.

Even though the movie received good reviews from critics, it has struggled to find companies in the US that are willing to distribute it.

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Despite receiving praise from critics, the documentary has faced challenges in securing distribution deals in the US. 

The difficulties in finding distribution for the film are being blamed on the censorship policies in the entertainment industries, which aimed to curtail Israel’s distressing demeanour with Palestinians.