Cold Open · Essay · jan 9, 2025

Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham on No Other Land (2024)

No Other Land — made by two Palestinians and two Israeli filmmakers — is one of the most important documentaries of recent years: an account of the systematic destruction of the community of Masafer Yatta by Israeli settler violence, filmed over years of dispossession. Basel Adra, who grew up in Masafer Yatta and appears in the film, joins Yuval Abraham and Elliot for a conversation about what the camera can do when the story it is documenting refuses to stop. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. This episode was made from the urgency of needing people to see it.

By Admin

Film Journalist · Celebrating Cinema

In a village under constant threat of displacement, where homes and schools are torn down and the land is slowly seized, how does one resist? For Basel, the camera is a weapon in the fight to preserve his community of Masafer Yatta. No Other Land is an unflinching documentary of settler violence, created by two Palestinians and two Israeli filmmakers. What they capture is undeniable.

On this episode of Celebrating Cinema, Basel and Yuval join Elliot for a powerful conversation about living under separate laws of the same state. They discuss their role as storytellers, connecting the fractured pieces of this crime, and uncovering the emotional truth behind life under occupation. Through their lenses, they expose Israeli state policies fuelling land grabs and illegal occupation, while underscoring the urgent need to document and bear witness.

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