Channel 4 to air controversial Oscar-winning documentary in UK first after major studios refuse to show film
Channel 4 is set to air a controversial documentary tonight in a UK TV first.
The documentary was self-distributed after failing to secure a deal, and in spite of that won the Oscar for Best Documentary feature.
The film has a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with 90 reviews and The Guardian gave it a five-star review, railing at the lack of distribution for the vital documentary.
Check out the trailer here:
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The film in question is called No Other Land, a documentary about the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from the occupied West Bank by the Israeli military.
No Other Land features viewpoints from others as well as Palestinians, however, as it is centred around a Palestinian man Hamdan Ballal working with an Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham to document events.
Much of the footage is filmed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra, who documents the destruction of his village with a camcorder.
Abraham spoke in an emotional speech at the Oscars, saying they made the film together ‘because together our voices are stronger’.
He went on to say: “We see each other the atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people must end.
“Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of October 7, which must be freed. When I look at Basel, I see my brother but we are unequal.
“We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law but Basel has to live under military laws that destroy his life and he cannot control.”
Adra also spoke in the speech, saying that the film reflected the ‘harsh reality’ for Palestinians in the West Bank, adding: “We call on the world to take serious action to stop the injustice and stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
The film has been highly acclaimed for its realistic portrayal of life on the West Bank.
Al Jazeera reports that, in the West Bank, Palestinians have been physically divided from travelling to and from Gaza since 1995’s Oslo Accords.
The news channel also claims that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are ‘illegal under international law’.
No Other Land has been highly acclaimed, with The Guardian’s Adrian Horton saying in their five-star review that it was ‘straightforward, un-sensationalized and completely infuriating’.
Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com said in their four out of four star review of the film: “In the hands of these filmmakers the camera becomes a weapon for truth and resistance, and a tool for conservation — recording some proof that their village existed.”
The film’s lack of international distribution, forcing the studio to self-distribute, has sparked controversy, with Yuval Abraham saying in an interview with Deadline: “I believe it’s clear that it’s for political reasons. I hope that it will change.
“We basically decided not to wait on the theatrical release because the demand in the United States is now so high for the film, and we are now releasing it in almost 100 theaters independently. And we’re seeing everything is sold out.”
Now, No Other Land will air on TV for the first time in the UK on Channel 4.
No Other Land will air on Channel 4 tonight (4 March) at 11.15pm and is available to stream now.
Topics: Politics, Oscars, Palestine, Film, TV and Film, Documentaries
Michael Slavin