Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor

Palestinian activist, cinematographer and law graduate, Basel Adra began documenting the destruction of the villages in Masefer Yatta when he was just 15 years old. A valuable act of defiance and resistance that has consistently put him and his family at risk – a risk that has made this film possible.

Located in the southern hills of Al-Kahlil (Hebron), Masefer Yatta forms part of what is currently defined as ‘Area C’. This means that since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has had full military and civil control over the area.

Israel controls where Palestinians can go, their electricity and water supply, access to schools and healthcare and the approval of permits that would allow Palestinians to build shelter and water storage facilities.

In 1980, it was defined as a ‘Firing Zone’ and was committed to the purpose of providing training grounds for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). Former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon has explicitly said that the purpose of this was to allow the forced expulsion of Palestinian residents.

Homes, livestock shelters, roads, solar panels, and water wells in this area are routinely bulldozed or filled in with cement as they were built without the permits that are near impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Many residents have been forced to leave, rebuild repeatedly or find shelter in surrounding caves.

No Other Land begins in the Summer of 2022, when after a 22 year long legal battle, the Israeli High Court ruled in favour of evicting the residents of these villages.

The film documents the resilience, strength and commitment needed from Palestinians to stay on their land. Equally it shows their grief, their pain, and their struggle in their plight to be seen and treated like human beings. It also shows Israel’s intense control of Palestinians and provides unambiguous evidence of Apartheid.

Furthermore, No Other Land highlights the alliance that develops between Basel Adra and Israeli journalist, Yuval Abraham as they work together towards a shared dream of a land where all people are treated equally and have access to the same opportunities. It also displays the power imbalance that exists between them, particularly relating to freedom of movement and self-determination.

Both Adra and Abraham have risked themselves and their families in the creation of this film. Despite the film’s selection for the New York film festival and winning Best Documentary at the Berlin film festival, the filmmakers’ and their families have been subject to death threats and baseless accusations of anti-Semitism both during and after its production.

This documentary is timely, important and provides a crucial platform for Palestinians to show the world who they really are; hospitable, kind, resilient, forgiving, and steadfast people.

No Other Land is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from November 21st.

Moviedoc thanks HiGloss Entertainment for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Jem for Moviedoc

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