The University of Haifa announced today (Sunday) that it is canceling the planned screening of No Other Land, winner of the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The decision followed public appeals and pressure from organizations—including the BeTsalmo movement—which called on the university’s administration to cancel the screening, arguing that the film constitutes extreme anti-Israel propaganda.
Controversy over the film’s Oscar win
In its official statement, the university explained that the cancellation was due to “questions regarding whether approval from the Council for Film and Theater Censorship is required” for screening the film. The event was initiated by the “Standing Together” organization and was scheduled back in March, shortly after the film’s Oscar win.
The film, a Palestinian-Norwegian production, documents IDF operations in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills and follows the activism of Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham—two of the filmmakers—against Israeli policy in the area. During their acceptance speech at the Oscars, the filmmakers sparked public outrage in Israel by claiming, “The Israeli government is starving the people of Gaza and committing ethnic cleansing.”
IDF arrest of one of the filmmakers
Following the film’s Oscar win, the controversy continued when the IDF arrested one of the directors, Hamdan Bilal, on suspicion of throwing stones at soldiers. Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham claimed that Bilal’s arrest was violent. Bilal was later released but alleged he was beaten during his detention.
In light of growing public criticism and demands to remove the film from academic platforms, the University of Haifa has decided not to move forward with the screening.
