“No Othre Land” Filmmakers Reject Distribution Deal with MUBI Amidst Ongoing Controversy
LOS ANGELES, CA – The filmmakers behind the โOscar-nominated documentary “no Other Land” have declined a distribution deal from MUBI, citing the โคstreaming platform’s ties to Sequoia capital and ongoing concerns โover funding and perceived political alignment. The decision marksโ the latest โขfallout from aโ controversy โthat has โฃdogged MUBI for โmonths, impacting its relationships with film festivals and independent filmmakers.
“No Otherโ Land,” which chronicles life in the occupied West Bank through the eyes of palestinian โand Israeli activists, achieved a successful independent โtheatrical run, grossing $3.6 million โworldwide. Despite this success, the filmmakers ultimately โchose โtoโ forgoโ a formal distribution partnership with MUBI, a platform โthat had expressed โinterest in handling the film’s wider release.
The controversy surrounding MUBIโค stems from โinvestor Sequoia Capital, whose partner Shaun Maguire faced criticismโ for โpastโ Islamophobic social media posts. This led to accusations thatโข MUBI was indirectly โขsupporting entities involved in โคthe ongoing conflict in Gaza. MUBI responded with a lengthy โstatement asserting Sequoiaโฃ is a minority investor with no oversight of MUBI’s editorial or โคfinancial decisions, andโข that profits do not fund other โcompanies in Sequoia’s portfolio. They โขalso implemented an “Ethical Funding andโข investmentโ policy.” Though, the backlash has persisted.
The โlos Angeles film festival recently severed ties โwithโ MUBIโ as a presentingโ sponsor,and โขthe “No โOtherโ Land” situationโค underscores the growing pressure on companies to address concerns about theirโ investments and perceived political stances.
The film’s director, โคBasel โคAdra, โhas faced ongoing โคpersonal hardshipโค whileโฃ promoting the documentary. โIn February, he penned a guest โcolumn for IndieWire detailing the crisis inโฃ Masafer Yatta. Asโข then, co-director โขHamdan Ballal was attacked and โฃarrested โinโ march, Adra’sโข home โขwas raided byโฃ theโ IDF in September,โ and a collaborator, Awdahโ Hathaleen, โฃwas killed โin the conflict two months ago. “No Other Land” is nominated forโ Best Documentaryโ feature at the upcomingโ Academy awards.