Melbourne International Film Festival Review - No Other Land

 

“They’ve made us strangers in our own land.”

Urgent, palpable and deeply human, No Other Land is a comprehensive documentary effort from a Palestinian-Israeli collaborative that seeks to chronicle the demolition of villages in the West Bank and show the real life faces of those affected by policies of eviction and destruction, and yet the hopeful resilience of those who stay and continue to rebuild. 

Discussion Points:

The history is complicated. The morality is not. No Other Land is a deeply human portrait of the people affected by policies, politics, history, religion and culture rhetoric in the West Bank. It isn’t focused on the politics at play. It doesn’t seek to document the different historical perspectives. It seeks to the show the people. The villagers of Masafer Yatta who continue to rebuild their homes and their schools and their lives despite the cycle of demolition, eviction and occupation they endure. Driven by the friendship between Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and Palestinian activist Basel Adra, and shot with increasing bravery and risk taking, the guerilla efforts of the crew stand as a testament to just how powerful the Israeli government and military are at pushing a narrative that downplays the human rights impact their West Bank policies have. Inadvertently, the crew finalised the film in October 2023, shortly before Hamas’ attack on Israel and the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War which has had catastrophic humanitarian results for those living in the Gaza Strip, and has led to increased violence and tension between villagers and settlers in the West Bank. As such, the documentary takes on a newfound urgency, in the face of an increasingly complex situation, and places the emphasis firmly on the human faces and places that bear the brunt of all the brutality and brokenness.