The documentary film “No Other Land”, the debut work of a Palestinian-Israeli collective that follows the friendship of two young men from opposing sides of the conflict, will premiere at the 20th Slobodna Zona (Free Zone) festival.
The film addresses the decades-long destruction of the Masafer Yatta area in the West Bank, which consists of about twenty Palestinian villages. This is where Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist, has lived and fought since childhood against the systematic demolition of homes and the mass displacement of his community by Israeli authorities. Joining him in this struggle is his peer, Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who tries to convey the reality of the situation to his fellow Israelis.
“As a child, I was told that houses were being demolished because Palestinians were building illegally. But then I realized there is a law that prevents Palestinians from obtaining building permits, as part of a larger conspiracy to seize their land,” says Yuval.
His research led him to Masafer Yatta, where he met Basel. Their shared fight against injustice brought them together, and they turned it into a film.
No Other Land consists of video footage that Basel and Yuval recorded over five years (up until October 2023), as well as archival footage of Basel’s family. In addition to Basel and Yuval, the Palestinian-Israeli collective includes Israeli journalist and cinematographer Rachel Sore and Palestinian activist and photographer Hamdan Balal.
The filming took place under extremely stressful and tense conditions, as the Israeli military now controls Masafer Yatta. Twice, the military raided Basel’s home, confiscating computers and cameras, but the film was still completed. It had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin Film Festival in February, where it won the award for Best Documentary and the Audience Award.
This “devastating cinematic punch to the gut” and “chronicle of human resilience” has also received awards at festivals in Copenhagen, Oslo, South Africa, Nyon, Sheffield, Belfast, Portugal, Poland, Zagreb, and more.
Both young men emphasize that a political solution is essential for ending the occupation and ensuring a stable future for the region.
“I hope our film shows just how unsustainable the current system is. Basel and I are the same age. I’m Israeli, he’s Palestinian. We live just half an hour apart, but we are not equal. I live under civil law, Basel under military law. I have the right to vote; he doesn’t. I can move freely across Israel, while Basel, like millions of other Palestinians, is trapped in the occupied West Bank. This apartheid must end,” Yuval stated.
The 20th edition of Slobodna Zona will take place from November 6 to 11 in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac. The festival will officially open on November 6 at 7 PM in the Blue Hall of the Sava Center with the regional premiere of “Anora” by Sean Baker, which won the Palme d’Or.
Tickets, priced at 1200 dinars, are available online via the Tickets and eFinity websites, as well as at their points of sale.
(Danas, 03.10.2024)
https://www.danas.rs/kultura/film-mi-nemamo-drugu-zemlju-na-slobodnoj-zoni/