Dubai film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired the rights to Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land in the Mena region. The Palestinian-Israeli co-production, which follows the struggles faced by journalist Basel Adra as he tries to protect his West Bank village Masafer Yatta from Israeli settlers, has struggled to find a major distributor in the US.
Its historic Oscar win earlier this month marked the first time a documentary has won an Oscar without an American distributor. It is also the first prize won by Palestine at the Oscars.
Co-directed by Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, the film has received numerous accolades since its premiere last year at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won best documentary. It has also won top prizes from the Gotham Awards, International Documentary Association and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.
Adra called for an end to Israeli occupation while accepting his award on the Oscars stage.
“About two months ago, I became a father. I hope my daughter will not have to live the same life I'm living now: always fearing settler violence, home demolitions and forced displacements that my community and myself are living and facing every day under the Israeli occupation," he said.
"This is the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.”
Abraham added that the film was made by both Palestinian and Israelis “because together, our voices are stronger”.
“When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal. We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control," he said.
“There is a different path – a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people. And I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Why can't you see that we are intertwined, that my people can be truly safe if Basel's people are truly free and safe? There is another way.”
Despite the absence of major studio backing, the self-distributed No Other Land has grossed more than $1 million in North America to date – more than double the grosses of the other four Oscar-nominated documentaries combined – according to trade magazine Screen International.
Last week, Steven Meiner, the mayor of Miami Beach, threatened to pull public funding of an independent cinema in the city for the screening the film.
Meiner had publicly urged O Cinema to cancel screenings of the documentary, which he called a "false one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people," in a newsletter sent to the city's residents.
If the mayor's proposal is successful, the cinema would be evicted and lose a proposed $40,000 in promised grant funding. The move is set for a commission vote on Wednesday.
O Cinema's chief executive Vivian Marthell responded to Meiner's threat, telling the Miami Herald that the institution's decision to screen No Other Land "is not a declaration of political alignment. It is, however, a bold reaffirmation of our fundamental belief that every voice deserves to be heard".
Besides No Other Land, Front Row Filmed Entertainment is also the regional distributor for two other Oscar-winners this year: The Substance, which won Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Emelia Perez, which won Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana and Best Original Song for El Mal.
No Other Land will be released theatrically and on streaming, Front Row Filmed Entertainment said.
“In a world filled with dominant narratives, it is essential to consider diverse viewpoints,” said chief executive Gianluca Chakra. “This film offers a unique perspective, bringing together filmmakers united by a just vision. The footage presented is both striking and unparalleled. We have a duty to make sure it reaches audiences."
