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In March of this year, a pair of documentaries exploring the consequences of the October 7th, 2023 attacks arrived in theaters within days of each other. The first, named October 8, focused on the “rise in antisemitism” on university grounds, on online platforms and on the streets” after Hamas forces killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them civilians. This documentary, produced by a well-known actress, was broadly distributed by an maverick film company that has also managed a film about Donald Trump and a Jamal Khashoggi documentary. Marketing for the film occurred on mainstream programs, and it ultimately earned more than $1.3 million in the United States, a significant sum for a political documentary.

Meanwhile, the second documentary, The Encampments, encountered greater obstacles. This film examines campus protests against Israel’s retaliatory destruction of Gaza, partly centered on activist Mahmoud Khalil – who was later taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his activism – received no celebrity morning show promotion. Its specialty release at a New York theater led to intimidation attempts, an act of property damage in the theater’s lobby and removal of ads online. That it was released at all – and made $80,000 in its opening weekend, a notable achievement for the independent film market – is thanks to Watermelon Pictures, an upstart, Palestinian-American founded film funding and release firm started by siblings Hamza and Badie Ali to help films with Palestinian perspectives reach audiences they typically cannot, in a industry that has otherwise ignored or deprioritized them.

Is a ‘chilling effect’ preventing Hollywood from tackling controversial documentaries?

The two documentaries demonstrate the different landscapes for stories from Israel and Palestine in the United States – one concentrated and frequently supported by established organizations, the second more fragmented and more ad hoc, yet expanding. The two-year anniversary of the 7 October attacks highlights this disparity even more – recently saw the limited release of The Road Between Us, a documentary following a former Israeli military leader’s efforts to save his family members from Hamas forces on October 7th. A compelling thriller-like story of endurance, pain and grief that does not mention the subsequent fatalities of at least 66,000 Palestinians in response, this documentary received support from celebrities and won the People’s Choice Award for top documentary at a prestigious cinema event. American release rights were rapidly acquired by a consulting firm.

It’s difficult to get any hot-button, politically challenging film financed, let alone released in the US, especially under the current political climate. But films featuring Palestinian perspectives, or films challenging the narrative of a government that has used the tragedies of 7 October into a tool for conflict defending an internationally recognized genocide in Gaza, have found it especially challenging, occasionally unfeasible, to reach audiences. “I’ve never made a film about Palestine that’s ever been released,” said one director, the creator behind a documentary titled “Coexistence, My Ass!”, a documentary about an comedian from Israel reexamining her past as “the symbolic figure for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process” in the wake of the widespread devastation of Gaza.

After a successful festival circuit, the filmmaker, who is Lebanese Canadian, had hopes for a release agreement for their documentary. “We thought that there could be a possibility that Coexistence could succeed just based on the comedian’s distinct outlook – it’s such a novel approach of looking at the situation,” the director said. But agreements fell through; the production group finally chose a independent distribution plan starting later this month, handled by the identical firm that arranged a previous documentary’s self-distribution earlier this year. That film, a searing documentary by an collaborative group about generational efforts to fight against occupation in a small West Bank community, won a bittersweet Oscar for best documentary; shortly after, Israeli settlers violently attacked a co-director, who was then arrested by soldiers allegedly mocking the award. It remains unavailable for online viewing in the US but earned over $2.5 million at the US box office (making it the highest grossing of the year’s Oscar-nominated docs).

‘We must act’: The firm distributing Palestinian films others avoid

A separate movie, “All That’s Left of You”, a sweeping epic on multiple generations of a family from Palestine displaced in 1948, also sought distribution after a successful festival appearances, but ran into concern from distributors over the “subject matter”. “We were optimistic that a major distributor would agree to release it,” said the Palestinian American director. A discussion with an undisclosed firm concluded, according to the filmmaker, with a pass, referencing an overloaded schedule. “That’s exactly what they told another Palestinian film that debuted recently at a festival. It seems like political cowardice,” she said.

The reality, according to a founder of Watermelon Pictures, is that “there are not a lot of distributors that are going to support Palestinian films”. Large streaming platforms have avoided involvement. But one studio recently acquired the global streaming rights to a series called “Red Alert”, a scripted mini-series partly produced by an Israeli fund, which depicts the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that, per the logline, “transformed southern Israel into a conflict area, testing humanity and forging heroism through turmoil”. The company leader promoted the show as evidence of the firm dedication to storytelling through creative quality and factual precision”. And another platform secured the US rights for “One Day in October”, a scripted series based on eyewitness stories of the attack that will debut on its second anniversary.

Meanwhile, “I believe a solitary Palestinian movie has ever gotten mainstream distribution in the US”, said the filmmaker, who has since formed her own distribution company, a new company, in wake of the obstacles. “No one’s really been willing to assume the chance on proving that these films could be seen widely.”

“It’s unfortunate that we have not received that equivalent backing,” said the founder. “None of our movies has been picked up by a mainstream streamer.” Still, “the industry is definitely shifting”, he said, referencing the recent commitment signed by over 3,900 influential industry personalities to avoid collaboration with Israeli cinema organizations “associated with severe human rights issues” against the Palestinian people, noting: “However, it appears, unfortunately, like the streaming platforms are not following suit.” (Several celebrities were among those who endorsed a criticism calling the pledge a “source of falsehoods”; several cited the country’s Oscar entry of The Sea, a movie concerning a Palestinian boy who tries to visit the seaside for the first time but is refused access at a checkpoint. Interestingly, the national film awards is under threat of funding cuts after The Sea received the highest honor.)

An emerging trend of Palestinian-led, challenging films is finally beginning to crest even without significant corporate support – Watermelon signed on to distribute the aforementioned epic, Jordan’s official submission to the Oscars, which will begin its limited theatrical release in January; well-known stars joined as executive producers. The company also represents the Palestinian entry for the Oscars, multi-generational story Palestine 36, and is executive producer on another documentary, which drew rave reviews and a major award at Venice; that film, which recreates the death of a five-year-old girl in the region with her actual recordings, will be distributed in Europe by a sales company, and has {yet to find|not