Academy Stirs Outrage After Not Mentioning ‘No Other Land’ Co-Director Hamdan Ballal in Statement Condemning ‘Harming or Suppressing Artists’

variety.com:

Ellise Shafer The Academy has drawn backlash after issuing a statement to members seemingly addressing criticism for not speaking out in support of Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal — one of the filmmakers behind the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” — who earlier this week was attacked by Israeli settlers and then detained by the Israeli army, according to the Associated Press.

The statement, which was sent Wednesday night and signed by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang, did not mention “No Other Land” or Ballal by name. “The Academy condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” reads the statement in part. “We are living in a time of profound change, marked by conflict and uncertainty — across the globe, in the U.S.

and within our own industry. Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political and economic events.

In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.” Ballal was released by Israeli authorities on Tuesday after his co-director Yuval Abraham wrote on X the day prior that he had gone missing after being attacked. “A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co-director of our film ‘No Other Land,’” Abraham said. “They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding.