No Other Land. Photo: Antipode Films.
No Other Land, a co-production between Palestinian Yabayay Media and Norwegian Antipode Films, was awarded the Oscar statuette for Best Documentary Feature Film.
"A Palestinian-Norwegian documentary film has now been named the best in the film world, despite being made with limited resources. This historic award truly showcases the power of documentary filmmaking – and, most importantly, what it means to have the determination to tell an important story about friendship across traditional conflict lines. It is a tremendous victory for the Palestinian, Israeli, and Norwegian filmmakers.
Due to the conflict in Israel and Palestine, the Norwegian co-producers have had to take on a significant role both in the production and in the follow-up of the film, and they have done so excellently. Norwegian documentary films have long had a strong international impact, and this award for No Other Land strengthens Norway’s position as a country capable of producing outstanding documentaries," says Kjersti Mo, director of the Norwegian Film Institute.
"This is an enormous and important achievement for the film and its directors, and of course for us as well. The film’s message will receive even greater exposure and reach, hopefully creating hope and concrete change in the world," say Norwegian co-producers Fabien Greenberg and Bård Kjøge Rønning of Antipode Films.
The film is directed by Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal. Yabayay Media is the Palestinian main producer.
No Other Land tells the story of a Palestinian activist who allies with an Israeli investigative journalist. The film is a co-production and has received NOK 375,000 in co-production funding from the Norwegian Film Institute.
The film has already received numerous international awards, including Best Documentary at Berlinale 2024 and Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Documentary.
No Other Land tells the story of a Palestinian activist who teams up with an Israeli investigative journalist. Together, they fight against Israel's settlement policies, which displace Palestinians on the West Bank daily, leaving them homeless. The film portrays Palestinian activism and emphasizes how the spirit of activism is passed down from generation to generation. Over several years, an Israeli-Palestinian film collective - comprising two Palestinian and two Israeli filmmakers - documented the injustices faced daily by Palestinians in the West Bank, culminating in the dramatic developments of autumn 2023.
Norwegian filmmaker Mona Fastvold was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with the American production The Brutalist. The Brutalist was also nominated for Best Picture and received a total of ten Oscar nominations. It won three: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Actor – Adrien Brody.
"We are very impressed with what Mona Fastvold and the rest of the creators of The Brutalist have achieved, and we want to congratulate her and the other filmmakers on all three Oscar statuettes and the well-deserved recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We look forward to Fastvold's upcoming projects," says Kjersti Mo, director of the Norwegian Film Institute.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.
