Israel’s culture minister has called the Oscar win of a joint Palestinian Israeli documentary “a sad moment for the world of cinema.” Palestinian residents whose community’s struggles are depicted in the film called the award a morale boost.
The film No Other Land, about activists fighting Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, won the 2025 Academy Award for best documentary. The film also highlights the friendship between the Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers.
The Israeli culture minister, Miki Zohar, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, said in a social media post that the filmmakers “chose to amplify narratives that distort Israel’s image” around the world. He called it “sabotage” against the country, “especially in the wake of the October 7th massacre and the ongoing war.”
Zohar said recent changes to Israeli public funding of film projects were intended to dry up support for such productions, which he called “an industry that builds its career on slandering Israel on the global stage.”
In an interview with NPR, the head of Israel’s documentary film forum called the minister’s comments “shameful.”
“We as a filmmakers community in Israel are facing challenges regarding free speech,” said Roni Aboulafia, the chairperson of the Israeli Documentary Forum. “We’re trying to continue to make this work and continue to tell the Israeli story as it is, without fear and without looking away.” NPR
