ISTANBUL

Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra says his Academy Award has brought “no political action” to stop mounting illegal Israeli settler and military violence in the occupied West Bank, adding that conditions have only deteriorated since the global recognition of his documentary No Other Land.

🎬 Oscar-winning Palestinian director Basel Adra says his award brought ‘no political action’ as illegal Israeli settler and military violence in his West Bank village worsens

📽️ The award-winning documentary No Other Land tells the real stories of Palestinian communities… pic.twitter.com/cmxTtPl1Cp

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) December 9, 2025

Adra, a director, journalist and human rights activist from At-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, spoke to Anadolu in Istanbul during an event, months after winning the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

He co-directed No Other Land with Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor – a joint Palestinian-Israeli production that documents the forced displacement of Palestinian communities and efforts to resist home demolitions carried out by Israeli forces and settlers.

“The main purpose was to tell the world we exist,” he said, recalling years of home demolitions, land seizures and settler attacks that he has filmed. “What’s happening there stays there, so I wanted to show the reality — the daily life under occupation.”

Adra described the emotional toll of recording violence in his village, including the moment he unknowingly filmed his own cousin being shot by an Israeli settler in October 2023. “That was the hardest thing I ever filmed,” he said. “Sometimes I got attacked, dragged, prevented from filming. It’s totally not an easy thing.”

He said the documentary resonated globally because it showed life “as it is,” without scripted scenes. “We showed all sides – suffering, tragedies, and moments where people try to find life,” he said.

But despite the Oscar win and widespread media attention, Adra said the suffering in Masafer Yatta has deepened.

“No, nothing changed,” he said when asked whether the award brought political momentum. “Changing needs serious actions. I wanted political influence, political actions – and unfortunately, this didn’t happen. The situation got worse and worse in my home.”

‘Soldiers, police and settlers are one body that wants to erase us’

Adra attributed the lack of action to political interests among Western governments that support Israel. “Those backing this Zionist regime in the US and Europe are funding it with weapons and diplomatic cover. If they were interested in ending the occupation, they could do it.”

He said Israeli officials openly signal their intentions for the West Bank, including blocking a two-state solution and expanding illegal settlements across large areas of Palestinian land. “The soldiers, police, courts and settlers are arms of one body that wants to erase us,” he said.

Adra also described the fear Palestinians face during coordinated settler and army attacks. “It’s very scary when you have people with guns and masks, and soldiers standing beside them,” he said. “A lot of people run away to protect themselves. Some choose to confront.”

Asked what he chooses, Adra said simply: “I confront with my camera.”

His comments came months after Israeli soldiers raided his home, where he says they searched his wife’s phone in front of his infant child. In July, Awdah Hathleen – an activist and English teacher who consulted on the documentary – was killed by an Israeli settler.

“What we want from this work as journalists and filmmakers is political change – somebody to stop demolitions and settlers’ attacks. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”