Academy issue statement explaining silence on attack of ‘No Other Land’ director Hamdan Ballal
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has offered clarification on its silence after Oscar-winning No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal was brutally attacked and arrested.
Ballal’s co-director Yuval Abraham revealed news of Ballal being attacked on March 24th, telling his followers on X, “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co director of our film No Other Land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since.”
In a further update on March 25th, Abraham confirmed that Ballal had been released after being “handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base”.
Speaking to ABC News from his hospital bed, Ballal said he is currently “afraid” and described it as “a hard, hard attack”, adding, “I feel I will die, because this attack was so hard, I bleed from everywhere. I’m crying from deeply in my heart. I feel pain everywhere in my body. So, they continue attacking me like 15-20 minutes.”
Abraham also condemned the Academy for not condemning the attack despite the likes of Mark Ruffalo signing a petition calling for the release of Ballal. Now, Bill Kramer and Janet Yang of the Academy have sent the co-director a letter with an explanation of why they chose not to speak on the attack. He shared their letter on X along with the caption, “After our criticism, the academy’s leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan’s assault: they need to respect ‘unique viewpoints'”.
The letter, attached by Abraham, reads: “At the heart of the Academy’s mission is a commitment to honoring excellence in the motion picture arts and sciences and connecting the world through the power of cinema. We do this through our work on the Oscars, our exhibitions and programs, our preservation and education efforts, and so much more. We believe deeply in the ability to provoke thought, and to bridge divides by offering a window into diverse human experiences.”
The message continued: “We fundamentally believe that film has the power to enlighten global audiences and highlight different perspectives – and we encourage our members to use their art to do so. The Academy condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or viewpoints.”
Yang and Kramer then noted that “we are living in a time of profound change” and stated they “are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events.” The pair then explained that the “Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.”
They added: “As an organization, our focus continues to be the celebration of creative voices that make up the global film community – and supporting your freedom to create, to challenge, and to imagine. We remain steadfast in this work, and we are grateful to walk alongside each of you in it.”
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