'No Other Land' Director Attacked! Will This End His Career?

Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the searing documentary "No Other Land," has once again been subjected to violence, this time at his own home. According to Ballal, who shared details on the film's Instagram account and the page of co-director Basel Adra, Israeli settlers attacked his family, leading to arrests and serious injuries.

'No Other Land' Director Attacked! Will This End H...

The situation sounds incredibly tense, to say the least. Ballal says four of his relatives – two brothers, a nephew, and a cousin – were arrested following the incident, while another relative is currently hospitalized with serious injuries. It's a deeply disturbing escalation of what seems to be ongoing harassment.

Ballal explained that a recent court order was supposed to provide some respite. "Two weeks ago we managed to get a decision from the Israeli court that the area around my home is closed to non-residents," he said. "But the settlers break that order and still come with their flocks almost every day. We call the police, they do nothing. The army comes, they do nothing." He went on to describe how Shem Tov Lusky, the same settler who attacked him after his Oscar win, returned with his flock, prompting a call to the police. However, according to Ballal, the army arrived and instead raided his house, attacking everyone inside.

It's worth remembering that "No Other Land" documents the devastating destruction of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. The film highlights the unlikely alliance between Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist, along with the contributions of Israeli co-director Rachel Szor. It's a powerful testament to cross-cultural collaboration in the face of injustice. But it also seems to have made Ballal a target.

Ballal feels the court victory, rather than bringing peace, has had the opposite effect. "The settlers have ramped up their harassment and the Israeli authorities have done nothing to enforce the decision, and today they joined the settlers in the attack,” he stated. His words echo a similar sentiment expressed in a New York Times op-ed following the initial attack – a stark contrast between the accolades he's received for his filmmaking and the harsh reality he faces under the Israeli occupation.

The road to getting "No Other Land" seen hasn’t been easy either. After initial struggles with distribution, the filmmakers chose to self-release, even turning down a deal with Mubi due to concerns over its ties to an Israeli defense startup. This incident is just the latest in a series of challenges faced by those connected to the film. Last summer, journalists were blocked from accessing West Bank villages where Adra and Abraham were organizing tours, and, heartbreakingly, Odeh Hathalin, a Palestinian activist and collaborator on the film, was fatally shot by an Israeli settler. This ongoing pattern of violence and intimidation is deeply concerning.