Academy Apologizes For Not Naming ‘No Other Land’ Or Its Co-Director In Statement Denouncing Attacks On Artists

deadline.com:

The top brass at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued an apology today for not mentioning Oscar-winning No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballan or the film by name in its initial response to his West Bank attack and detention on Monday.

The note from AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang to members comes hours after the Academy’s Board of Governors held an urgent special meeting — as Deadline reported exclusively — to discuss the fallout over its midweek response to the attack on No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal.  “On Wednesday, we sent a letter in response to reports of violence against Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, connected to his artistic expression,” Kramer and Yang wrote to members today. “We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr.

Ballal and the film by name.” They added: “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the Academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world.

We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances.” Deadline hears that today’s AMPAS response was in the works before today’s meeting of the 55-member AMPAS Board of Governors. RELATED: ‘No Other Land’ Co-Director Yuval Abraham Slams Oscar Academy Letter To Members In Wake Of Hamdan Ballal Attack On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang signed a letter sent to members condemning “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” but they failed to note the attack on Ballal specifically.