AceShowbiz - Over 680 members of the Academy have signed an open letter decrying the Academy's leadership for their lackluster reaction to the violent assault and subsequent arrest of Hamdan Ballal. The filmmaker, who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land", was reportedly attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank village of Susiya.

This incident happened just a few weeks after the organization awarded the movie and its filmmakers at this year's ceremony.

Signing the letter were prominent actors like Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Gere, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, Pedro Pascal, Javier Bardem, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack, Carey Mulligan, Steve Buscemi, America Ferrera, Sandra Oh, Olivia Colman, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Marisa Tomei, Sam Worthington, and Penelope Cruz.

Acclaimed directors such as Ava DuVernay ("Selma"), Alfonso Cuaron ("Gravity"), Denis Villeneuve ("Dune"), Adam McKay ("Anchorman"), Todd Haynes ("Conclave"), and Taika Waititi ("Thor: ragnarok") supported the letter as well.

"We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank," the letter states.

This strong condemnation comes in stark contrast to the Academy's initial tepid statement, which failed to even mention Ballal by name. The initial statement from Academy CEO Bill Kramer referenced the broad challenges facing the global community but fell short of addressing the specifics of Ballal's situation.

Instead, Kramer highlighted the diverse viewpoints within the Academy's membership but did not directly acknowledge the gravity of Ballal's assault.

This response drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including Ballal's Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham, who had described the incident as a "lynching" on social media and emphasized the physical injuries suffered by Ballal.

Signatories of the open letter argue that the Academy's response reflects a significant "lack of support" for filmmakers who put themselves at risk to tell important stories.

They stress that, "It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later."

Within days of the criticism, the Academy issued another statement attempting to rectify their earlier oversight. "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," the revised message read.

Despite the Academy's efforts to address the backlash, the dissatisfaction remains evident among the wider artistic community. As the dialogue continues, the firm stance taken by these influential filmmakers and actors underscores the precarious position of artists in conflict zones and the importance of institutional support for their safety and freedom of expression.