Awave of outrage swept through Hollywood as over 600 Oscar voters, including prominent figures such as Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Penèlope Cruz, Emma Thompson, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack, Susan Sarandon, and Olivia Colman, signed an open letter criticising the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for its vague and muted response to the violent arrest of Palestinian filmmaker and Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal.
The pressure has now resulted in an apology from the Academy.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang released a new statement regretting their initial response. “On Wednesday, we sent a letter in response to reports of violence against Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, connected to his artistic expression,” it read.
“We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr Ballal and the film by name. We sincerely apologise to Mr Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the Academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world. We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances.”
Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, which won Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Academy Awards, was attacked and captured earlier this week by Israeli forces and settlers in his hometown of Susiya, located in the occupied West Bank. According to co-director Yuval Abraham, Ballal sustained injuries to his head and stomach, was zip-tied and blindfolded. He was released the following day.
The letter from AMPAS members condemned the Academy’s initial response, calling it a “lack of support” for a filmmaker facing clear political persecution.
“It is indefensible for an organisation to recognise a film with an award in the first week of March and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later,” the letter stated, pointing out the stark contrast between the Academy’s recognition of No Other Land and its reluctance to address the serious threats faced by its creators.
The signatories stressed that the targeting of Ballal is not an isolated incident but rather a direct assault on documentary filmmakers who risk their lives to tell urgent and often controversial stories. “The targeting of Ballal is not just an attack on one filmmaker — it is an attack on all those who dare to bear witness and tell inconvenient truths,” the letter continued, warning that winning an Oscar has placed Ballal and his colleagues in even greater danger.
You can read the complete list of signatories here.
The letter highlighted that most Oscar-winning films benefit from expensive campaigns and widespread distribution, while No Other Land won despite lacking such resources. “For No Other Land to win an Oscar without these advantages speaks to how important the film is to the voting membership.”
It concluded with a commitment from its signatories to keep a close watch on the No Other Land team. “We will continue to watch over this film team. Winning an Oscar has put their lives in increasing danger, and we will not mince words when the safety of fellow artists is at stake,” it stated.
In their muted statement emailed to Academy members on March 16 and shared by Abraham on X, Academy leaders Kramer and Yang did not directly mention Ballal, No Other Land, or the violent circumstances of his capture.
Instead, they vaguely referenced the idea that Academy members hold “many unique viewpoints” on global events, an approach that signatories of the open letter found woefully inadequate.
