Indian govt cancels screening of Oscar-winning documentary on plight of Palestinians

The BJP-led Indian government has cancelled screening of No Other Land, an Oscar-winning documentary, showing the ongoing plight of Palestinians.

The film, co-produced by a team of Israeli and Palestinian activists, was set to be featured at the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) and the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. However, both screenings were abruptly canceled after the Indian government refused to grant the necessary censor exemption.

A poignant sequence in No Other Land, showing an Israeli bulldozer demolishing a Palestinian home, was intended to be part of the opening trailer for the film. This scene, was described as a “ringing reminder” of the story that would not be seen due to the Indian government’s intervention.

The film was produced by four Israeli and Palestinian activists and journalists – Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal Al-Huraini – and documents the struggles of Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta and the constant attempts by Israeli settlers and the army to take over the land and demolish Palestinian properties. Masafer Yatta is a collection of 19 Palestinian villages in the south of occupied West Bank.