The Academy Awards, which recently appreciated Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal during the 2025 event, came under fire after CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang refused to address his recent assault and abduction by Israeli authorities. That’s when Mark Ruffalo joined Joaquin Phoenix, Elizabeth Olsen, and 500 other actors to condemn the Academy’s move.
After Hamdan Ballal was detained by the Israeli army on suspicion of throwing stones and causing property damage, the Academy Award committee issued an open letter condemning the harm or suppression of artists, without mentioning Ballal’s name. This controversial move raised eyebrows and led actors to rally behind Ballal while slamming the Academy.
Academy’s controversial move after Hamdan Ballal’s detention by the Israeli army
Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who recently won an Oscar for his co-directorial work on the documentary No Other Land, was attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by the Israeli army earlier this week. It was revealed that Ballal was detained on suspicion of throwing stones and causing property damage, which he denied.
Later on, as per CNBC, Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal was released by the Israeli army on Tuesday. However, amid this ongoing harassment, the Academy Awards committee issued an open letter condemning the harm or suppression of artists, signed by CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang.
The Academy condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints. We are living in a time of profound change, marked by conflict and uncertainty — across the globe, in the U.S., and within our own industry.
Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events. In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.
Now, surprisingly, this letter lacked the mention of No Other Land or Hamdan Ballal by his name. This led people to assume that perhaps the Academy Awards committee was trying to stay neutral and do its job by simply addressing the incident. Therefore, Ballal’s colleague and co-director Yuval Abraham took to X to criticize the Academy for not speaking out about the attack.
Mark Ruffalo joined 500+ actors condemning the Academy’s lack of support for Hamdan Ballal
After Hamdan Ballal’s abduction and assault, followed by Yuval Abraham’s criticizing remarks for the Academy Awards committee, several figures from the film community and the awards body unanimously expressed their disapproval of the Academy’s statement. More than 500+ actors signed an open letter condemning the Academy’s lack of public support for Ballal.
Among those 500+ stars, @FilmUpdates revealed that Mark Ruffalo joined the likes of Elizabeth Olsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Riz Ahmed, Penélope Cruz, Emma Thompson, Javier Bardem, Richard Gere, and more. Soon, the European Academy voiced support for Hamdan Ballal and so did countless other award groups and festivals.
Previously, ahead of Hamdan Ballal’s release by the Israeli army, the International Documentary Association and several film critics’ groups had released statements supporting the director and even signed a petition calling for Ballal’s release. According to CNBC, the petition garnered thousands of signatures from legends like Ava DuVernay, Alex Gibney, and more.
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