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Hamdan Ballal, Oscar-winning co-director of No Other Land, shared his traumatic experience of being attacked by Israeli settlers, calling it the “worst moment of my life.”
Hamdan Ballal is the co-directer of No Other Land, which won best documentary at the Academy Awards.
Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of No Other Land, has shared his painful experience of being attacked and captured by Israeli settlers. He revealed that during the ordeal, they mocked him for his Oscar win.
In an op-ed for The New York Times, quoted by Deadline, Hamdan Ballal opened up about the horrifying incident. Describing it as the “worst moment of my life,” he urged the world to keep its focus on Palestine and the “near-daily violence” faced by its people.
According to Deadline, Hamdan Ballal shared that the attack took place on a “typical Ramadan evening” in late March. When his neighbour alerted him about settlers attacking, he rushed to capture the incident on camera but was forced to retreat when the crowd grew larger and concerns for his family’s safety took over.
As the soldiers, some of whom Hamdan recognised, approached, he quickly rushed his wife and three young children inside their home. He told his wife firmly not to open the door under any circumstances.
“They met me outside the door of my home and started beating and cursing me. Mocking me as the ‘Oscar-winning filmmaker.’ I felt guns bashing my ribs. Someone punched me in the head from behind. I fell to the ground. I was kicked and spat on. I felt immense pain and fear. I could hear my wife and kids screaming and crying, calling for me and telling the men to go away. It was the worst moment of my life. My wife and I both thought I would be killed. We feared what would happen to my family if I died,” wrote Hamdan as quoted by Deadline.
Hamdan’s capture was first brought to light by his colleague and No Other Land co-director, Abraham. According to Deadline, Abraham later criticised the Academy for its response, pointing out that the organisation failed to clearly condemn the violence.
The Academy later apologised for the vague statement it had initially released, which didn’t even mention Hamdan by name. This came after more than 900 prominent Academy members criticised the weak response and demanded a stronger show of support for Hamdan.
