Following the award-winning achievement of the controversial film “No Other Land” at the Oscars, model and social media influencer Maya Wertheimer reacted this evening (Monday) to the creator’s speech. In a response she posted on her Instagram account, Wertheimer wrote: “Yuval sounded like many of my friends who lived in the kibbutz in the Gaza border area… who also felt like him… and then the events of October 7 happened, and everything exploded in our faces.”
A Slap in the Face
“It’s a slap in the face to hear a speech like that when we have hostages and soldiers fighting every day for you and your family to be able to ‘make films.’ It is so infuriating,” added the model.
Sabotage of the State of Israel
Earlier today, Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar condemned the situation on his X account and referred to actions he has taken to prevent further anti-Zionist publications. “Freedom of expression is an important value, but turning the defamation of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not creation, it is sabotage against the State of Israel,” wrote the minister. Zohar claimed this is precisely why he initiated the reform in cinema: “To ensure that public resources are directed to works that speak to the Israeli audience, and not to a industry that builds careers on defaming the country at foreign festivals.”
The Oscar win for the film “No Other Land” is a sad moment for the world of cinema. Instead of presenting the complexity of Israeli reality, the filmmakers chose to amplify narratives that distort Israel’s image vis-à-vis international audiences. Freedom of expression is an…
— Miki Zohar מיקי זוהר (@zoharm7) March 3, 2025
The Oscar’s Speech
The film “No Other Land” won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 2025. It was directed by a Palestinian and Israeli film crew including Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Shor. The film focuses on the struggle of the residents of a village in southern Mount Hebron against the demolition of their homes and their eviction by the IDF, presenting their daily lives and the complex reality in the area. During the award acceptance ceremony, the filmmakers used the platform to convey one-sided criticism l message of Israeli policies in Judea and Samaria, also addressing IDF actions and the situation in Gaza. At the end of their speech, the winners emphasized the need for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7, 2023 attack, alongside a call for an end to the war.
