Co-director speaks out as Oscar winner goes missing
- Replies 5
An acclaimed filmmaker's recent triumph at the Academy Awards has taken a dark turn, with troubling reports emerging about his safety.
What should have been a time of celebration has instead spiralled into a disturbing situation, raising urgent questions about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Here’s what we know so far.
A filmmaker who won an Oscar this month has reportedly been attacked and is now missing, according to his co-director.
Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was allegedly assaulted by settlers before being arrested by soldiers.
His co-director, Yuval Abraham, raised alarm over his disappearance in a social media post.
‘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,’ Abraham wrote.
Military officials in Israel, where the alleged attack reportedly happened, shared that they were ‘looking into the incident.’
In a statement, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said: 'Contrary to claims, no Palestinian who was inside an ambulance was arrested.'
Ballal was reportedly among three people detained in the West Bank village of Susiya. Authorities claimed they were receiving medical treatment at a military base, though their exact condition remained unclear.
His fellow co-director, Basel Adra, suggested the attack was linked to their recent Oscar win.
‘We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us,’ Adra shared.
‘This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.’
The film, created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, was created between 2019 and 2023. It documented a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank resisting forced displacement from their land.
The filmmakers received cheers at the Academy Awards on 2 March when they called for peace during their acceptance speech.
The documentary at the centre of this unfolding crisis has already made waves on the international stage.
Watch the trailer here to see why No Other Land has sparked such intense reactions.
Source: Youtube/Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival
With tensions escalating following the filmmakers' Oscar win, what impact do you think No Other Land will have in the long run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
What should have been a time of celebration has instead spiralled into a disturbing situation, raising urgent questions about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Here’s what we know so far.
A filmmaker who won an Oscar this month has reportedly been attacked and is now missing, according to his co-director.
Hamdan Ballal, one of the co-directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was allegedly assaulted by settlers before being arrested by soldiers.
His co-director, Yuval Abraham, raised alarm over his disappearance in a social media post.
Hamdan Ballal (3rd person from the left), an Oscar-winning filmmaker went missing after an alleged attack. Image source: Mike Coppola/Getty Images
‘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,’ Abraham wrote.
Military officials in Israel, where the alleged attack reportedly happened, shared that they were ‘looking into the incident.’
In a statement, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said: 'Contrary to claims, no Palestinian who was inside an ambulance was arrested.'
Ballal was reportedly among three people detained in the West Bank village of Susiya. Authorities claimed they were receiving medical treatment at a military base, though their exact condition remained unclear.
His fellow co-director, Basel Adra, suggested the attack was linked to their recent Oscar win.
‘We came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us,’ Adra shared.
‘This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment.’
The film, created by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, was created between 2019 and 2023. It documented a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank resisting forced displacement from their land.
The filmmakers received cheers at the Academy Awards on 2 March when they called for peace during their acceptance speech.
The documentary at the centre of this unfolding crisis has already made waves on the international stage.
Watch the trailer here to see why No Other Land has sparked such intense reactions.
Source: Youtube/Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival
With tensions escalating following the filmmakers' Oscar win, what impact do you think No Other Land will have in the long run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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