| No Other Land | |
| Music: | Julius Pollux Rothlaender |
| Cinematography: | Rachel Szor |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
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 conflict 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, and the Berlinale Documentary Film Award.
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.
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:[4]
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.The documentary was filmed over four years between 2019 and 2023, wrapping production in October 2023.[5]
No Other Land had its world premiere on 16 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Panorama.[6]
The film had its international premiere at Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival on 15 March 2024, in the section "Urgent Matters" and the "Conflicted" theme.[7] It featured in the "Popular Front(s)" in the 46th Cinéma du Réel Festival that took place from 22 to March 31 2024 in Paris.[8]
The film was also presented in the International Documentaries section of the 71st Sydney Film Festival on June 13, 2024.[9]
It was selected in TIFF Docs at 2024 Toronto International Film Festival which will be held from September 5 to 15, 2024.[10]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 8 reviews.[11] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim".[12]
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."[13]
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."[14]
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."[15]
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..."[16]
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."[17]
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".[18]
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film | No Other Land | [19] [20] | |
| Berlinale Documentary Film Award | [21] [22] [23] | ||||
| Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival | 22 March 2024 | Audience Award | [24] | ||
| Visions du Réel | 19 April 2024 | Audience Award | [25] | ||
| Millennium Docs Against Gravity | 16 May 2024 | Grand Prix Bank Millennium Award | [26] [27] | ||
| Audience Award | [28] | ||||
At the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, No Other Land won the Berlinale Documentary Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film. During their acceptance speeches for the Berlinale Documentary Award, Abraham criticized Israel saying:[29]
Adra, in his acceptance speech, said:[30]
The Berlinale also featured other numerous pro-Palestine protests during the acceptance speeches and red carpet — including from Golden Bear winner Mati Diop. 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”.[31] 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."[32] 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".[33] [34]
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,"[35] and reported that his family in Israel had evacuated their home after "a right-wing Israeli mob"[36] came in search of him. He was also concerned for the safety of Adra, who had since returned to the West Bank.