Academy Issues Apology for Lack of Support to Palestinian Oscar Winner

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has publicly apologized following criticism for its inadequate response to the detainment of Hamdan Ballal, an Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a formal apology on Friday after facing significant backlash from its members, who were upset about the organization's failure to support Hamdan Ballal, a recently detained Palestinian Oscar winner. The apology comes after a collective of nearly 700 voting members, including notable actors like Mark Ruffalo and Olivia Colman, expressed discontent through a letter critiquing the Academy for not mentioning Ballal or his film by name in their statements.

Ballal, co-director of the Academy Award-winning documentary "No Other Land," revealed earlier this week that he was attacked by Israeli settlers before being detained by military forces, but he has since been released. The Academy initially responded to the incident but failed to address Ballal directly, which prompted members to voice their concerns.

The letter from the Academy members emphasized the significance of acknowledging and supporting filmmakers, stating, "It is indefensible for an organisation to recognise a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later." The letter highlighted Ballal's achievement as particularly extraordinary given the absence of extensive promotional campaigns usually required for Oscar consideration.

In their recent statement, the Academy clarified their stance: "We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name. 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."

Ballal's co-director, Yuval Abraham, confirmed that he was assaulted by settlers and detained by soldiers while in an ambulance. Contrarily, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refuted these claims, stating that four individuals, including three Palestinians, were arrested on allegations of "rock hurling" at security personnel.

The documentary "No Other Land," which won the best documentary award at the recent Academy Awards, provides a poignant look at the struggles faced by the community of Masafer Yatta and the relationship between the protagonists, Adra and Abraham.