Academy apologizes for muted response to Palestinian director's assault
Two leaders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized after hundreds of members condemned their failure to directly acknowledge an attack on Hamdan Ballal — an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who, based on witness accounts and videos, was beaten by Israeli settlers and detained by soldiers.
“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. We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name,” read an email sent to Academy members Friday by Academy chief executive Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang. “We sincerely apologize 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.”
Kramer and Yang had outraged many members with an earlier statement, which vaguely condemned “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” but did not mention Monday’s attack on Ballal in his home village in the West Bank. It added that when responding to major events, the Academy must consider “11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.”
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Ballal was in his home village of Susya on Monday when dozens of masked Israeli settlers descended on the village with batons, knives and a rifle, and started attacking property and residents, activists who report on settler attacks in the area said in a statement. The film co-director, who ushered his wife and son inside their home and stood outside the door to protect them, was beaten by a few of the Israeli settlers, who injured his head and stomach, according to activist reports and witness accounts. He was then arrested by Israeli soldiers and released on Tuesday.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2025/03/29/academy-apology-hamdan-ballal/