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    Hamdan Ballal released from detention

    Hamdan Ballal, co-director  of NO OTHER LAND

    UPDATE: Hamdan Ballal, co-director of NO OTHER LAND, has been released from detention today,  according to co-director Yuval Abraham and international outlets.

     

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    The European Film Academy called on the Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the Palestinian director Hamdan Ballal.

    According to eye witnesses, Hamdan Ballal was beaten up by violent Israeli settlers who surrounded his house in the West Bank.

    Afterwards, it was reported that Israeli soldiers forcefully took the director from an ambulance and detained him. The Israeli Defense Forces deny this.

    Hamdan Ballal is one of four co-directors of the documentary NO OTHER LAND which premiered at the Berlinale in 2024, where it won the festival’s documentary prize. The film received the European Documentary Award at the European Film Awards 2024 and continued to win an Oscar.

    The European Film Academy worried about the mental and physical well-being of Hamdan Ballal, called onto the Israeli authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him and we encouraged all film and culture institutions around the world to do the same.

    We joined our colleagues at the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk in their call to “Release & Protect Hamdan Ballal Now!“