‘No Other Land’ Team To Self-Release Oscar-Winning Doc On U.S. Streaming Platforms After “Rejecting” Mubi Deal
The team behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land said it plans to release the film on US streaming platforms starting October 20.
The team notes that these platforms include Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and YouTube, and says 100% of VOD revenues will go directly to Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta, the occupied West Bank area depicted in the acclaimed film about Israeli settler violence and Palestinian displacement.
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In an unusual move, No Other Land The team announced in a press release Friday that it had struck a domestic release deal with distributor Mubi after months of negotiations, but the filmmakers ultimately decided to “reject” the deal due to the emergence of Mubi’s well-publicized support from Sequoia.
Sources confirmed that Mubi was on the verge of finalizing a streaming deal for the film over the summer, but things suddenly calmed down. Mubi declined to comment.
“This film shows the reality of Israeli occupation and oppression of Palestinians, but that reality apparently did not fit the narrative that major US broadcasters wanted to promote.. “We talked with Mubi for months and initially thought our film had found a home, but eventually we learned that they had accepted a major investment from Sequoia Capital,” he said. No Other Land co-director Basel Adra.
““Not only is it unethical, it doesn’t make sense to us that they would take our film showing Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and then partner with a company that contributes to that oppression,” he said. No Other Land assistant director Yuval Abraham.
Mubi faces a major PR headache following an investment from US venture capital firm Sequoia, which has ties to Kela, an Israeli military technology startup founded by Israeli military intelligence veterans. The company was founded after Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza in 2023. No Other Land filmmakers draw a line between Kela and the Israeli army’s devastating Gaza offensive. Dozens of filmmakers signed a petition condemning Mubi’s investment from Sequoia; This situation led to the owner of the company, Efe Çakarel, having to defend the company and take an anti-war stance.
No Other Land It was theatrically self-distributed in the US earlier this year and earned a solid $2.5 million. While mainstream broadcasters and buyers stayed away from the film, we understand that arthouse theatrical offers were on the table but the filmmakers decided not to accept them.
It was revealed that Mubi received a license No Other Land through local distributors in several European countries (Italy and Germany).
No Other LandMade by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, it shows the destruction of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers and the developing alliance between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist. The film debuted at last year’s Berlin Film Festival and was screened at festivals around the world before winning the Documentary Feature Oscar.
Settler violence continues in the West Bank. Two months ago, collaborator Awdah Hathaleen No Other LandHe was shot and killed by an Israeli settler.
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