The Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature recently hosted a screening of No Other Land, a documentary that captures the systemic displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, a rural region in the occupied West Bank. Co-directed by a unique team of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers—Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor—the film stands out not only for its content, but also for its courageous collaboration across deeply entrenched political lines.

No Other Land, an Oscar-winning documentary and recipient of multiple international awards—including two at the Berlin International Film Festival—documents the demolitions of Palestinian homes between 2019 and 2023, carried out under the pretext of establishing a military training zone. Palestinian directors Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, both residents and activists from the area, began filming to create a historical record of the violence inflicted on their community. Families are forced to live in caves, the salvaging of belongings from rubble, and the erasure of generational homes; these harrowing realities form the heart of the documentary.

The film also explores the complex and evolving relationship between Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. As their collaboration deepens, it reveals not only the challenges of cross-political friendships but also the stark asymmetries of privilege and mobility under occupation—Abraham can travel freely, while Adra cannot. These interpersonal dynamics mirror the broader injustices of the occupation, offering a deep human entry point into the geopolitics of the region.

Following the screening, Dr. Ali Raza offered brief but powerful remarks on the urgency of such storytelling in global conversations about power, dispossession, and resistance. He emphasized the ethical responsibility of bearing witness, the value of solidarity across borders, and the critical role of film in amplifying silenced voices. The discussion concluded that No Other Land is more than a documentary—it is a testament to the enduring human spirit and the power of documenting truth in the face of systemic erasure.