Academy apologizes for the declaration in any other land director attack

The Academy’s Academy of Arts and Sciences apologized on Friday after hundreds of its members criticized it for not supporting the winner of Oscar Hamdan Ballal, a Palestinian who was recently arrested by Israeli settlers.

The academy apologized for not “directly (recognize) to Mr. Ballal and the film by name”, after almost 700 voting members, including multiple actors on list A, signed a letter criticizing them.

Ballal is one of the co -director of the documentary not other Land, who won an academy award Earl this month.

Said earlier this week that He was attacked by Israeli settlers before being arrested by the Israeli army. He was later released.

The Academy initially responded to the incident on Wednesday, but did not refer directly to Mr. Ballal, which led to Hollywood scrutiny.

The statement led to a reprimand of more than 700 voting members of the Academy with a letter. Those who signed included: Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Olivia Colman, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Thompson, Penelope Cruz and Richard Gere. Directors Jonathan Glazer and Ava Duvernay also signed it.

“It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with a prize in the first week of March, and then it does not defend its filmmakers a few weeks later,” said the letter.

The letter pointed out how difficult it was to win an Oscar and the steep competition he faced to be recognized as a most prestigious honor winner in the cinema worldwide. He said the film won without the typical typical campaigns that most films pay to win an award.

“Ballal’s orientation is not just an attack against a filmmaker: it is an attack against all those who dare to testify and tell inconvenient truths,” said the letter.

The Academy issued a statement on Friday that appointed the director and apologized.

“We regret to have been able to directly recognize Mr. Ballal and the film by name,” says the statement. “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all the artists who felt without support for our previous statement and we want to make it clear that the academy condemns violence of this type anywhere in the world.

“We hate the suppression of freedom of expression under any circumstance.”

Ballal was released a day after he was beaten by the settlers and then taken by soldiers while he was in an ambulance, his co -director Yuval Abraham said earlier this week.

The Israel Defense Forces (FDI) have denied that statement. They said that three Palestinians and an Israeli had been arrested under suspicion of “rock launch” before the security forces.

No other land – which collected the best documentary in the 97th Academy Awards – Follow the fight for Masafer Yatta, a community of approximately 20 villages, and the friendship between Adra and Abraham.