EXCLUSIVE: Hamdan Ballal and his fellow No Other Land filmmakers are thanking top members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for signing a letter that pushed AMPAS leadership to take a firmer stance condemning an attack on Ballal by Israeli settlers.

Palestinian filmmakers Ballal and Basel Adra and Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor wrote a note which has been distributed today to all the signatories of Friday’s letter. “Dear friends,” the note says, “We wanted to briefly share with you that Hamdan’s physical condition has improved over the past few days and he is at home with his children. The letter you wrote in support of him has been deeply moving for us personally, and also important politically, especially as the attacks on the Masafer Yatta community continue every day. At a time when we felt ignored by the Academy it meant a lot to read your letter and know we are not alone.” Read the full letter below.

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Nearly 900 Academy members have signed the message sent Friday to Academy President Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer, which criticized the pair’s initial response to an incident in which Israeli settlers allegedly beat Ballal outside his home in the rural Masafer Yatta area in the occupied West Bank, and then Israeli authorities detained the filmmaker and allegedly beat him while he was in custody and mocked him for winning an Oscar. Yang and Kramer’s initial statement on the attack, circulated privately to Academy members, condemned “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints” but didn’t mention Ballal by name, nor No Other Land, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature on March 2.

That letter, considered toothless by some critics within the Academy, prompted an emergency meeting of the AMPAS Board of Governors on Friday. As Deadline reported, following that meeting, Yang and Kramer issued a statement of apology that said, “On Wednesday, we sent a letter in response to reports of violence against Oscar winner Hamdan Ballal, co-director of No Other Land, connected to his artistic expression. We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name.”

The message of thanks from the four directors of No Other Land commends signatories – a list that now includes Ben Affleck, J.J. Abrams, Ava DuVernay, Denis Villeneuve, Edward Norton, Riz Ahmed, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Joaquin Phoenix, Sarah Polley, the three governors from the documentary branch – Simon Kilmurry, Jean Tsien, and Chris Hegedus – and hundreds more, representing every voting branch of the Academy. (Click here to see the list of signatories). Ballal, Adra, Abraham and Szor write: “You fought back against dehumanization, against the notion that Palestinian lives are worth less, and for that we are grateful. We know the path ahead won’t be easy, but your solidarity was a reminder that we are not walking this path alone.”

Over the weekend, No Other Land crossed the $2 million mark in box office revenue in the U.S. and Canada. It is being self-distributed through the auspices of Cinetic after failing to receive significant distribution offers for North American market. It has earned $2.8 million worldwide.

Here is the letter in full:

Dear friends, We wanted to briefly share with you that Hamdan’s physical condition has improved over the past few days and he is at home with his children. The letter you wrote in support of him has been deeply moving for us personally, and also important politically, especially as the attacks on the Masafer Yatta community continue every day. At a time when we felt ignored by the Academy it meant a lot to read your letter and know we are not alone. You fought back against dehumanization, against the notion that Palestinian lives are worth less, and for that we are grateful. We know the path ahead won’t be easy, but your solidarity was a reminder that we are not walking this path alone.

With respect, Hamdan Ballal, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham