Academy drops ‘territories’ in Palestine reference

Adam Bakri in “Omar.” The drama, set amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign picture on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. After hearing the news of his latest nomination, director Hany Abu-Assad said Thursday that having the academy refer to his entry as being from Palestine was a step in the right direction.

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Thursday’s Oscar nominations had some new language in the foreign language category: Nominee “Omar” was described as being from “Palestine,” a reference the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has carefully avoided in the past.
“Omar,” a drama set amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was directed by Hany Abu-Assad, whose 2005 thriller “Paradise Now” was also nominated in the foreign language category. But after a tussle with the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, the academy chose to refer to the film as a product of the “Palestinian Territories” or “Palestinian Authority,” rather than simply “Palestine.”
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