The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued an apology for its response to an attack on the Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal following pressure from voting members. Hundreds of Academy members have criticized the awards body for not acknowledging Ballal by name in its initial statement shared after the Palestinian director said he had been attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by soldiers in the West Bank earlier this week.

Film academy leaders apologized to 'No Other Land' co-director Hamdan Ballal for their initial response to his detainment, which members called 'indefensible' in an open letter.

In a letter to academy members, academy CEO Bill Kramer and its president, Janet Yang, said they regretted not issuing a direct statement on Ballal