Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Gere and Penélope Cruz are among the actors on list A who have signed an open letter criticizing the Academy’s leadership for their response to the alleged assault and the arrest of Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian filmmaker who won an Oscar for his co -director No other landA few weeks before.
“We are condemned by the brutal assault and illegal detention of the Palestinian filmmaker Oscar -winning Hamdan Ballal by Israeli settlers and forces in the West Bank,” read the letter. “As artists, we depend on our ability to tell stories without reprisals. Documentary filmmakers are often exposed to extreme risks to enlighten the world. ”
The letter was signed by more than 680 members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of the Academy of Films of all genres, notably Raul Castillo, Sandra Oh, Ava Duvernay, Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, as well as dozens of documentarians.
“It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with a prize in the first week of March, then defending his filmmakers a few weeks later,” said the letter, calling the assault on Ballal “an attack on all those who dare to bear a witness and say inconvenient truths”.
“We will continue to monitor this cinematographic team,” said the letter. “Earning an Oscar has put its life in growing danger, and we will not massage the words when the safety of other artists is at stake.”
Earlier this week, Ballal was attacked by Israeli settlers held by the authorities, according to his co -directors and a group of Jewish activists. The filmmaker was one of the three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya, said Ballal lawyer Lea Tsemel, according to the Associated Press.
The Academy published a lukewarm declaration which did not refer to the attack itself, or mentioned Ballal by name, but condemned “the deletion of artists for their work”. The CEO of the Academy, Bill Kramer, originally wrote: “We live in a period of deep change, marked by conflicts and uncertainty – around the world, in the United States and in our own industry.”
Kramer added: “Naturally, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political and economic events. In these cases, it is important to note that the Academy represents nearly 11,000 world members with many unique points of view.”
Yuval Abraham, one of the Israeli codirectors of the film, criticized the answer, comparing it to the “rightly so strong” message that the Academy sent after six Iranian filmmakers had been arrested for their work.
Abraham had previously said on X that Ballal had been “lynched” by settlers who “beat him, and he has injuries in the head and stomach, bleeding”. In an interview with the TutorBallal said he feared for his life after being beaten with rifles. “It was a revenge for our film,” he told the publication. “I heard the voices of the soldiers, they laughed at me … I heard (the word)” Oscar “.”
Israeli defense forces have denied that Ballal had been beaten, according to The guardianAffirming that the military organization had “facilitated medical treatment for prisoners”.
Friday, the Academy presented other apologies also lukewarm for their vague statement. “We regret not directly recognizing Mr. Ballal and the film by name,” said the letter. “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. We disturb the suppression of freedom of expression in all circumstances. ”
In a statement previously shared with RollerThe center of Jewish non-violence said that “dozens of settlers” attacked the Palestinian village of Susiya in the region of Masafer Yatta, in the south of the West Bank. The attackers would have attacked “two houses, destroyed water tanks and stolen from security cameras”.
