The Academy apologizes for not appointing the Palestinian director Oscar

After criticizing criticism after his initial response violent attack On the co -director of “No Land”, winner of an Oscar, Hamdan Ballal, the Academy of Arts and the Sciences of the Academy of Films and Sciences apologized on Friday of not having recognized Ballal by name.

In a letter to the members of the Academy, the CEO of the Academy, Bill Kramer, and its president, Janet Yang, said that he had regretted not having published a direct declaration on Ballal. The director on Monday, said witnesses, was beaten by Israeli settlers in the West Bank Then held by the Israeli army.

The attack, a few weeks after Ballal and his colleagues directors won the best documentary In the Oscars, was largely condemned by many film organizations, among others. The Academy published a statement on Wednesday condemning “harm or delete artists for their work or their views”.

Yuval Abraham, journalist and co -director of “No Other Land”, was very critical of this answer, comparing it to “Silence on Hamdan’s assault”.

Friday, more than 600 of the 11,000 members of the Academy published an open letter saying that the declaration of the Academy “was far from the feelings of this moment.” Among the signatories were Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman, Rice Ahmed, Emma Thompson, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and the filmmaker “The Zone of Interest” Jonathan Glazer.

After a meeting on Friday by the Council of Governors of the Academy, Kramer and Yang responded with a new declaration.

“We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all the artists who did not feel taken care of by our previous declaration and want to clearly indicate that the Academy condemns violence of this kind all over the world,” they wrote to members. “We disturb the suppression of freedom of expression in all circumstances.”

After being detained for more than 8 pm, Ballal was released by Israeli soldiers. The Ballal and two other Palestinians were accused of throwing stones on a colonist, of allegations they deny. After being released, Ballal told the Associated Press that a colonist had kicked him “like a football” during an attack on his village.

“I realized that they were specifically attacking me,” said Ballal in a West Bank hospital after his release on Tuesday. “When they say” Oscar “, you understand. When they say your name, you understand.

“No other land”, an Israeli-Palestinian joint production, tells the situation in Masafer Yatta, which the Israeli army designated as a shooting area living in the 1980s and ordered the expulsion of residents, mainly of the Arab Bedouins. About 1,000 residents remained largely in place, but the soldiers come regularly to demolish houses, tents, water tanks and olive orchards.

After not having found an American distributor despite the praise, “no other land” was self-published in theaters. He still managed to exceed $ 2 million in North American theaters.