Oscar win for 'No Other Land', documentary on Palestinians displaced from West Bank community by Israel

A documentary that was jointly made by two Palestinians and two Israelis has won the Academy Award ("Oscar") for best documentary feature film.

It was a remarkable feat for a film that did not manage to secure distribution in U.S. cinemas.

What is the documentary about?

"No Other Land" focuses on the displacement and eviction of Palestinians from Masafer Yatta, a region within the West Bank, by Israeli authorities who seek to turn the location into a military training zone, according to ABCNews and The Independent.

The documentary was filmed between 2019 and 2023, over a period of four years, and wrapped up production just days before Hamas launched its attack on Oct. 7, 2023, leading to Israeli military offensives in Gaza.

Masafer Yatta is also the hometown of one of the aforementioned Palestinians, Basel Adra, and it is through his perspective, along with that of one of the Israelis, journalist Yuval Abraham, that the narrative is told.

The documentary tells the story of the demolition and displacement efforts that Masafer Yatta was subjected to, along with the unlikely friendship that develops between Adra and Abraham.

A synopsis for the film defines their relationship as such:

"Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free."

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the conclusion of the Six-Day War in 1967, with the Palestinian Authority exercising partial civil control.

According to ABCNews, Israel's demolition efforts in the West Bank, on what the country has deemed to be illegal structures, primarily seek to clear the way for Israeli settlers to move into the region for religious reasons and an improved quality of life.

What did Adra and Abraham say during their acceptance speeches?

During their acceptance speech at the Oscars on Mar. 2, Adra said:

"About two months ago, I became a father. My hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements."

As for Abraham, he was quoted as saying:

“When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal.

We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life.

There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people."

He also condemned his government for the "atrocious destruction" of Gaza and called for Hamas to release all Israeli hostages.

Documentary has been unable to secure a distributor in the U.S.

The film's award is unlikely to translate into commercial success in the U.S., however.

The Independent further reported that the film has been unable to find a firm to distribute it in the U.S.

The article noted that the film comes at a time when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become "particularly salient" in light of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and the ensuing bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel.

In response to the lack of distribution, Abraham was quoted by Deadline in February 2025 as saying, "I believe it’s clear that it’s for political reasons. I hope that it will change."

He added that the film is being released independently instead and pointed out:

"And we’re seeing everything is sold out. People are coming to watch it, which is really amazing… There are still conversations happening and we are still holding onto this hope that a big distributor will have the minimal amount of courage to take on [the] film.”

Left image via Deadline Hollywood/YouTube, right image via nootherland.film/Instagram