No Other Land, a film about Palestinians fighting to protect their homes from demolition by Israel’s military, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
The collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers triumphed on Sunday over Porcelain War, Sugarcane, Black Box Diaries and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.
The film, produced between 2019 and 2023, follows activist Basel Adra as he risks arrest to document the destruction of his hometown, Masafer Yatta, which Israeli soldiers are tearing down to use as a military training zone, at the southern edge of the West Bank.
Adra’s pleas fall on deaf ears until he befriends a Jewish-Israeli journalist, Yuval Abraham, who helps him amplify his story.
Accepting the award, Adra said No Other Land reflects the harsh reality Palestinians have been enduring for decades.
The prize for Best Animated Feature went to the independent film Flow, the first movie from Latvia to win an Oscar. The Brazilian movie I’m Still Here received the Best International Feature award.
Nominees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the Oscars celebration with a Wizard of Oz-themed medley including the showstopping hit ‘Defying Gravity’ from their film Wicked.
Grande, Saldana, Selena Gomez and other stars wore shiny and sculptural gowns. Timothee Chalamet chose a canary yellow tuxedo, prompting a jab from the Oscars host, comedian Conan O’Brien.
