Oscar-winning ‘No Other Land’ co-director Hamdan Ballal freed, Yuval Abraham confirms
Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of the documentary No Other Land, has been freed, with fellow co-director Yuval Abraham providing updates on X.
Abraham posted on March 25th in a new update, “After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family”. A petition was created to free Ballal, which gained over 3,700 signatures, advocating for his release after he was reported missing after being attacked.
Abraham, the joint winner of the Academy Award for ‘Best Documentary’, said in the petition, “We, members of the global film community urgently appeal for the immediate release and safety of filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of ‘No Other Land’”.
This came after reports that Ballal was taken by the Israeli army from an ambulance after being brutally attacked by settlers, with the director being subsequently detained with no information as to his whereabouts.
In another video shared by Abraham, masked settlers can be seen attacking the crew and subsequently throwing stones at their car. This is reported to have taken place in the Palestinian village of Susiya in the Masafer Yatta area, where they have also destroyed property.
The petition stated, “Reports that Mr. Ballal was forcibly removed by the Israeli army from an ambulance following a brutal attack by settlers, and subsequently detained without clear information regarding his whereabouts, deeply alarm us. Such treatment of an internationally acclaimed filmmaker gravely undermines artistic freedom, human rights, and freedom of speech — core values vital to democratic societies”.
Many notable figures from Hollywood have since signed the petition, with people such as Mark Ruffalo advocating for the release of Ballal, whose documentary follows a Palestinian family living in the West Bank while their home is destroyed by Israeli forces, with Abraham forming a friendship with a journalist to work together and share their story.
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