The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has issued an apology after facing criticism for not directly naming No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal in its initial statement regarding his violent attack.
Ballal, an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, was reportedly beaten by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Monday before being detained by the Israeli military. The attack sparked outrage across the global film community, particularly as it came just weeks after No Other Land won Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.
The Academy’s first response, released on Wednesday, broadly condemned “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints” but did not mention Ballal specifically. Co-director Yuval Abraham criticized the statement, calling it akin to “silence on Hamdan’s assault.”
The muted response led to a backlash within the industry. On Friday, over 600 of the Academy’s 11,000 members, including Hollywood stars like Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman, Riz Ahmed, Emma Thompson, Javier Bardem, and Penélope Cruz, signed an open letter condemning the Academy’s lack of direct support for Ballal. The signatories stated that the initial statement “fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for.”
In response, the Academy’s board of governors met on Friday, after which CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang issued a more direct apology. “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the Academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world,” they wrote in a letter to members.
The statement also reaffirmed the Academy’s commitment to free speech, adding, “We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances.”
While the apology has been noted, it remains to be seen whether the Academy will take further action in support of Ballal and other artists facing similar threats worldwide.
