'No Other Land': The Palestine Documentary US Distributors Wont Touch
The most impressive post-Oscar nomination victory has gone to No Other Land; however, the Palestinian West Bank-set documentary does not have a U.S. distributor willing to take the risk of handling it. As a result, no one in the U.S. will be able to watch the film through mainstream distribution.
So why are most U.S. studios refusing to distribute No Other Land?
This high-profile film was created by an Israeli-Palestinian collective of four director-writers who also served as producers. Since its debut at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival, the documentary has won nearly every possible award for Best Documentary of the year. Moreover, The New York Times has called it “one of the year’s most acclaimed films.”
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No Other Land follows two of its directors: Palestinian journalist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. Basel grew up in Masafer Yatta, a cluster of Palestinian hamlets that has existed for generations. The film revolves around this village in the southern West Bank, where thousands of residents face eviction, a crisis that has persisted for decades and has escalated since October 7.
The documentary captures the horrific and harrowing experiences endured by Palestinians in their homeland. At the same time, it is a celebration of the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of Masafer Yatta’s residents as they resist a decades-long process of ethnic cleansing. These efforts range from protests, activism, and political organizing to the smallest acts of care for the land.
Twenty-eight-year-old Adra, who was raised in Masafer Yatta, has been documenting the forced expulsions since he was a teenager. Over the course of the film, he builds a strong bond with Abraham, who lives in Jerusalem and frequently travels to Masafer Yatta to report on the situation. The decision to document the harrowing reality of Masafer Yatta began when Adra met Abraham, an Israeli citizen and journalist, who had initially visited the West Bank to document the crisis himself. The two became unlikely friends and allies, with Abraham regularly showing up to support Adra’s activism. Once they began collaborating, it became even more crucial to share their footage with the world.
Although the film has received widespread acclaim, it has also been denounced and attacked by Israeli supporters.
They teamed up with Szor, an Israeli cinematographer, and Ballal, a Palestinian filmmaker and photographer, to create a cross-border activist collective. The group spent the past five years putting No Other Land together.
Despite the challenges of finding a distributor, the directors have refused to back down. Instead, they have embarked on a self-distribution plan, successfully bringing the film to 23 U.S. theaters on the strength of strong box office performance.
Since the film’s release, Basel has continued to document the atrocities of the Israeli occupation forces in his homeland. He recently filmed an attack by Israeli settlers on one of the villages where he grew up.
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“We faced so many risks in the field, on the ground. My home was invaded. My cameras were confiscated by Israeli soldiers. I was physically attacked… It’s sad that U.S. distributors so far are unwilling to take even a small risk in showing this documentary,” Basel said in an interview with Democracy Now.
