In Masafer Yatta, a collection of Palestinian hamlets in the southern West Bank, life is synonymous with conflict. Bulldozers come to destroy family homes. Mothers’ cries are met with soldiers’ orders. Foundations come crumbling down, only to be put back up inside of caves. Conflict is everywhere.
It’s even present for the two protagonists at the center of “No Other Land” (2024), the Oscar-nominated documentary that explores this issue. Palestinian activist Basel Adra calls Masafer Yatta home, while Yuval Abraham, a Jerusalem-based journalist, tries desperately to spread the word of the demolitions in Masafer Yatta despite being an outsider.
Shot in vérité style by the duo, along with Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal and Israeli cinematographer Rachel Szor, the work is perhaps the clearest example of the occupation’s injustices to be put to screen. It won the prize for best documentary at the Berlin Film Festival, captured the New York Film Critics Circle award and looks to be an Oscar frontrunner as well. However, unlike previous documentary darlings such as last year’s Russia and Ukraine-centered “20 Days in Mariupol,” “No Other Land” is punishingly calm in its approach. Save for a few shocking moments, showcasing the Israeli military’s violence is not the film’s goal. Instead, it points to ways in which the Palestinians native to the land are ignored. Often, soldiers just push them to the side — business as usual.
“No Other Land” is not merely a documentation of injustice, but rather, a form of protest. The camera is Adra’s weapon as he defends his land; often, crying out, “You’re being filmed,” is the only way he gets any response at all. But as much as they film and as many articles as Abraham writes, the film makes it clear that the decades-long struggle in Masafer Yatta has yet to get the attention it deserves. In fact, a seven-minute visit by former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair was the only event that got the Israeli state to halt the demolitions.
Nonetheless, activism is almost second nature for Adra. His father, Nasser, has been fighting similar battles for his entire life and made sure that the spirit was passed down to his son. It is there, inside the family’s fight for freedom, that another plotline unfolds. At multiple points, Basel questions whether he is built to carry on his father’s legacy. While riding in the car with Abraham, Basel admits that the work demands more energy than he can muster. Later, after a clash with the military, he is forced to lay low for a while.
In “No Other Land,” it becomes clear that the Israeli military aims to destroy slowly, demoralizing Palestinians one by one. A slow and painful death. “Every week, a home,” the voiceover explains. “Every week a new family must decide: Endure, or leave their land.” Though the scenes of bulldozers and protests are somewhat redundant, they are included, one after another, to show the incessant strife the residents must endure.
But humanity persists, even through demolitions and rubble. The picture is able to function as a work equally shocking and rage-inducing because it does not view the inhabitants of Masafer Yatta as simply victims but as true individuals. At night, the men sit around and smoke hookah, while the children lay in bed playing on their iPads. There are even moments of humor; a mother jokes that her son is too lazy to get out of bed for school but jumps up immediately when it’s the military knocking.
As expected, the result of their protests is not successful, and what comes after — the collective wrapped shooting in October 2023 — is assumed to be even worse. The last piece of footage they were able to film in Masafer Yatta showed Israeli settlers raiding a village, and as a title card explains, Masafer Yatta’s fate is yet to be determined.
Despite a growing number of terrible obstacles Palestinians must overcome, the film’s one truth remains: They’re not going anywhere. While President Donald Trump recently stated the United States’ intentions to “take over” Gaza and relocate its citizens, “No Other Land” is an example of the plan’s flaws. It’s unlikely that the estimated 2,500 inhabitants of Masafer Yatta would accept to move anywhere, and even so, a Trump Tower would still likely be at the bottom of the list.
But with Israel’s crimes against humanity being well documented, it’s naive to say that they would even have a choice. This is why “No Other Land” is crucial viewing. There is no better way to understand the Palestinian perspective than to see it authentically. Unfortunately, distributors in the United States won’t touch the film; it’s not in their best interests to get in the middle of geopolitics. Still, some producers are independently working to get the film in theaters. A difficult watch, but it’s essential nonetheless, and every ticket counts.
