Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Middle East and North African rights for Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham.
The MENA deal was struck by Elie Touma at Front Row and Stephanie Fuchs at Austrian-based sales company Autlook Filmsales, which is overseeing international sales.
The announcement comes amid fresh pushback against the documentary in the U.S., where a Miami mayor has been accused of censorship after he threatened to shut down an arthouse cinema showing the work.
Shot between 2019 and 2023, No Other Land captures the struggle of people living in the West Bank Palestinian villages of Masafer Yatta in the face of attempts by Israeli authorities and settlers to erase their homes and history from the map. Israeli settlers have continued to attack the area since the film’s Oscar win on March 2.
The documentary follows the journey of Adra as he documents the devastation of his hometown, after it is designated for Israeli military training. His efforts to raise awareness gain momentum with the support of Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who amplifies his narrative.
The work world premiered at 2023 Berlinale, where it won the Audience Award and Berlinale Documentary Award, with Abraham sparking controversy after he criticized a “situation of apartheid” in Israel and called for a ceasefire in Gaza in his acceptance speech.
Abraham subsequently received death threats and was accused of antisemitism. The journalist and filmmaker, who is descended from a family that was decimated in the Holocaust, has categorically refuted these accusations.
Since its premiere, No Other Land has won 68 film festival and annual award prizes, including the European Film Awards, the Boston Society of Film Critics’ Awards and the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
However, the film was unable to secure a distributor in the U.S., and its Best Documentary victory category in the 2025 Academy Awards, marked the first time a documentary had won an Oscar without a distribution company attached.
The filmmakers instead opted for a self-distribution in partnership with Cinetic Media, which facilitated theatrical bookings.
The documentary premiered on February 2 on a single screen, grossing $26,000, and continued to thrive for four additional weeks, surpassing the $1.2 million mark and expanding to 120 screens.
Front Row is no stranger to handling challenging films. Earlier this year, the company released its second Netflix original, The Sand Castle, which explored themes of displacement and PTSD under the guise of an atmospheric horror narrative, achieving top 10 status on Netflix for two weeks in over 77 countries.
Other recent releases on its slate include The Substance, The Apprentice, Emilia Pérez, and The Bibi Files.
Front Row also has a history of working with politically charged films. It oversaw the first theatrical release of a documentary in MENA cinemas with Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, while other acquisitions include films such as 20 Days in Mariupol, Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider, and Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now?.
Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, emphasized the significance of presenting No Other Land to MENA audiences.
“In a world filled with dominant narratives, it is essential to consider diverse viewpoints. This film offers a unique perspective, bringing together filmmakers united by a just vision, he said. “The footage presented is both striking and unparalleled. We have a duty to make sure it reaches audiences. Through the lens of these filmmakers, the camera transforms into a potent tool for truth and resistance, safeguarding the history of their village.”
Front Row plans to imminently release the film theatrically in select cinemas, followed by a premium VOD release across the MENA.
