‘No Other Land’ Co-Director Hamdan Ballal Freed, Yuval Abraham Says
variety.comNaman Ramachandran UPDATE: Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning Israel-Palestine documentary “No Other Land,” has been freed, according to the latest post from co-director Yuval Abraham. “After being handcuffed all night and beaten in a military base, Hamdan Ballal is now free and is about to go home to his family,” Abraham posted on X on Tuesday. PREVIOUSLY: A petition to free Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning Israel-Palestine documentary “No Other Land,” has gathered more than 3,700 signatures on Change.org.
Ballal is reportedly missing after being attacked, according to a series of posts on X from co-director Yuval Abraham. “We, members of the global film community urgently appeal for the immediate release and safety of filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of ‘No Other Land,’ the recipient of this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Reports that Mr. Ballal was forcibly removed by the Israeli army from an ambulance following a brutal attack by settlers, and subsequently detained without clear information regarding his whereabouts, deeply alarm us.
Such treatment of an internationally acclaimed filmmaker gravely undermines artistic freedom, human rights, and freedom of speech — core values vital to democratic societies.
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