Israeli director threatened after ceasefire call at Berlin film festival

Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham has reported receiving death threats and has opted to cancel his return flight from the Berlin International Film Festival. This decision comes in response to the backlash he faced following his acceptance speech at the festival, during which he criticised the “apartheid situation” and advocated for a ceasefire in […]

Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham has reported receiving death threats and has opted to cancel his return flight from the Berlin International Film Festival. This decision comes in response to the backlash he faced following his acceptance speech at the festival, during which he criticised the “apartheid situation” and advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Abraham, alongside his Palestinian co-director Basel Adra, was awarded the Best Documentary for their film “No Other Land,” which sheds light on the evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank by Israeli authorities.

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Their speeches were met with accusations of antisemitism from prominent figures, including the mayor of Berlin and Israel’s Ambassador to Germany. Abraham alleged in a social media post that a group of right-wing Israelis visited his family’s home in search of him, leading his close family members to flee to another town in fear.

He stated that he had continued to receive death threats and had to cancel his flight home.