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Since the attacks on Israel led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the retaliation by the Israeli military has escalated to such an extreme – with many hundreds of thousands of Palestinian citizens living in Gaza either having been killed or displaced. But this is not the first time that Israel has led such a full-scale assault over an innocent population within the Middle East, yet it became clear that since that attack the unwavering support that they receive from American, Canadian, and British governments only allows them to commit war crimes against Palestinians. It only feels worth talking about in relation to the harrowing account presented in No Other Land, a documentary that will without doubt, go down as a historically defining work.

Filmed between 2019 and 2023, No Other Land tells a story within the West Bank – one that is highlighted by Basel Adra’s own life in Masafer Yatta, a village which was to be destroyed by Israeli military forces in order to make room for a training camp for Israeli soldiers. As a result of this, many villagers were left displaced from their own homes, but for Basel Adra, who has lived in Masafer Yatta for most of his life, it feels like a moment to call for a revolution. In that fight to preserve a community he’s lived within for so long, he befriends the Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who helps him achieve a platform to reach beyond the Palestinian population in solidarity.

Noting the fact that the footage you will see in No Other Land was shot before the October 7 attacks, it will only feel very eye-opening as it calls for people to educate themselves further on the nature of the presently ongoing occupation of Palestinian land by Israeli authorities. It was not a moment in time that happened out of the blue, it was the indirect result of an occupation that has taken place within the 20th century only being carried out to more extreme levels. For Basel Adra, it’s a very deeply personal struggle, after seeing his own father arrested for standing up for his own people.

Because we’re indeed seeing a very personal struggle for a Palestinian man and his own people, the best thing about a film like No Other Land is that it always ensures that we’re able to see eye to eye with himself and the many other villagers in Masafer Yatta. Everyone feels so close-knit within this community, in part brought on forth by these circumstances, but what Adra and Abraham are able to show you is as matter-of-fact as they get – we’re seeing human beings continually on the move because they have no idea what will happen next, especially if Israeli authorities are free to move in this land whereas Palestinian citizens are restricted.

For co-director Yuval Abraham though, taking part in a film like this only feels as if it were coming from a place of reckoning. It only makes moments where we’re seeing his friendship with Basel Adra flourishing all the more heartbreaking. Yet someone like him knows that he’s coming into this land with a distinct privilege over Basel Adra, despite the two of them forming a friendship over the years in which Abraham has been documenting this grave injustice being committed to a population of people simply trying to live their own lives. But even with this distinct advantage, there’s also a sense of despair coming from a fear he has from inside, about whether or not the Israeli population would listen.

When No Other Land had won the Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, Yuval Abraham took the stage to call for a ceasefire, which predictably caused a stir among Israelis, among them including death threats towards his family and accusations of antisemitism. Such claims are ludicrous, as Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza has continued leaving many Palestinian citizens homeless, and decimated hundreds if not thousands of families who are now left within the rubble of destroyed buildings. Not only was it a commendable thing for him to do in the moment, but given the fact that this inhuman occupation and displacement of Palestinian people has only increased to the levels of genocide, it only makes his part in bringing this story forward all the more honourable.

Perhaps the saddest thing about watching No Other Land is knowing that we’re seeing very human stories that are left ignored while the world pays attention to the Israeli side of things. These are people who are living their lives and shown to be as ordinary as those you see on the daily, much to the point that we could easily see ourselves living among them. But because they have no other place they can call home, there’s a looming uncertainty in whether or not they will last all that much longer. Yet even as No Other Land might be so harrowing, at times difficult to watch in the face of all the violence you’ll see committed onscreen, it’s an essential watch.

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Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Cinetic Media.

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Directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Written by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Produced by Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Featuring Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Premiere Date: February 17, 2024 (Berlin)
Running Time: 95 minutes