The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has issued an apology for not directly naming Hamdan Ballal, the Oscar-winning co-director of “No Other Land,” in its initial response to a violent attack on him. The apology follows widespread criticism from the film community, including an open letter signed by more than 600 academy members.

Ballal was reportedly beaten by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on Monday and then detained by the Israeli military. Witnesses claimed that Ballal, along with two other Palestinians, was accused of throwing stones at a settler—allegations they deny. After being held for over 20 hours, Ballal was released, describing how a settler had kicked his head “like a football” during the assault.

Initially, AMPAS released a statement on Wednesday condemning “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints” without directly naming Ballal. This vague response drew backlash, with Yuval Abraham, a journalist and co-director of “No Other Land,” calling it akin to “silence on Hamdan's assault.”

The open letter, signed by prominent members including Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Colman, Riz Ahmed, Emma Thompson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, stated that the academy's reaction “fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for.”

In response, AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang acknowledged the oversight, saying, “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Ballal and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement and want to make it clear that the academy condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world. We abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances.”

“No Other Land,” a joint Israeli-Palestinian production, chronicles the struggles of the Masafer Yatta residents in the West Bank. Despite critical acclaim, the film struggled to find a U.S. distributor and was ultimately self-released, earning over $2 million in North American theatres.