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In March of this year, two non-fiction films exploring the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023 attacks reached theaters within days of each other. The first, named “October 8”, focused on the “emergence of antisemitism on college campuses, on online platforms and on the public spaces” after Hamas forces took the lives of over 1,200 individuals in southern Israel, the majority being non-combatants. This documentary, executive-produced by a well-known actress, was widely released by an independent film company that has also managed a Trump biopic and a documentary on Jamal Khashoggi. Promotion for the film took place on popular TV shows, and it ultimately earned more than $1.3m domestically, a significant sum for a political documentary.

The other film, The Encampments, faced a tougher road. This film examines student demonstrations against the retaliatory actions in of the Gaza Strip, partly centered on protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil – who was later taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his activism – got no support from famous TV hosts. Its specialty release at a NYC cinema led to intimidation attempts, an act of property damage in the theater’s lobby and social media censorship. That it was able to premiere – and made $80,000 in its opening weekend, a significant win for the independent film market – is thanks to a new distribution company, an emerging, Palestinian-American founded film funding and release firm started by siblings the Ali brothers to support movies presenting Palestinian views reach audiences they otherwise would not, 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 Israeli and Palestinian narratives in the United States – the first more unified and frequently supported by more mainstream institutions, the other fractured and less organized, yet expanding. The two-year anniversary of the October 7th events highlights this disparity even more – this weekend marks the selective premiere of “The Road Between Us”, a non-fiction film following a retired Israeli general’s efforts to save his son’s family from militants on 7 October. A gripping Taken-like tale of survival, trauma and mourning that does not mention Israel’s subsequent killing of at least 66,000 people in Gaza in response, The Road Between Us received support from celebrities and won the audience choice prize 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 funded, much less distributed in the United States, 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 October 7th into a weapon of war justifying an globally condemned humanitarian crisis in Gaza, have found it particularly difficult, sometimes impossible, to connect with viewers. “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 film about an comedian from Israel confronting her upbringing as “the literal poster child for the peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians” in the aftermath of the widespread devastation of the territory.

With an acclaimed festival run, the filmmaker, who is Lebanese Canadian, had aspirations for a distribution deal for Coexistence, My Ass!. “We believed that there could be a possibility that Coexistence could break through just based on the comedian’s unique perspective – it’s such a unique way of looking at the situation,” the director said. But deals never worked out; the production group ultimately opted for a independent distribution plan starting later this month, handled by the same company that orchestrated a previous documentary’s self-release earlier this year. That film, a powerful non-fiction work by an Israeli-Palestinian collective about long-standing struggles to resist occupation in a small West Bank community, won a bittersweet Oscar for outstanding documentary; shortly after, Israeli settlers severely beat a film-maker, who was then detained by soldiers reportedly ridiculing the award. It’s still not available for online viewing in the US but made more than $2.5m at the American theaters (making it the highest grossing of the year’s Oscar-nominated docs).

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

Another film, All That’s Left of You, a grand narrative on multiple generations of a Palestinian family displaced in 1948, also looked for a distributor after a successful festival appearances, but ran into concern from distribution companies over the “content theme”. “We had high hopes that a major distributor would come through,” said the American-Palestinian filmmaker. One conversation with an undisclosed firm ended, according to the filmmaker, with a rejection, citing too many films. “That’s exactly what they said to another Palestinian movie that more recently premiered at a festival. It seems like political cowardice,” she said.

The reality, according to Watermelon co-founder, is that “very few distributors exist that are going to back Palestinian cinema”. Major streaming companies have avoided involvement. But a prominent studio recently purchased the international streaming rights to a series called “Red Alert”, a four-part scripted series partly produced by an Israeli fund, which depicts the October 7th events on the country that, according to the description, “transformed southern Israel into a conflict area, challenging human decency and creating heroes through turmoil”. The studio CEO promoted the show as proof of the company’s “continued commitment to storytelling through artistic excellence and factual precision”. And another platform secured the American rights for “One Day in October”, a dramatized show based on eyewitness stories of the attack that will premiere on its second anniversary.

At the same time, “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. “Nobody has truly been prepared to take a risk on demonstrating that these movies can attract broad audiences.”

“It’s unfortunate that we haven’t had that equivalent backing,” said the founder. “None of our movies has been acquired by a major streaming service.” Nevertheless, “the industry is definitely shifting”, he said, pointing to the recent commitment signed by more than 3,900 influential industry personalities to not work with Israeli cinema organizations “implicated in genocide and apartheid” against the Palestinian people, adding: “However, it appears, unfortunately, like the streamers are not following suit.” (Several celebrities were among those who signed a rebuke calling the pledge a “source of falsehoods”; some referenced the country’s Oscar entry of The Sea, a film about a young Palestinian who attempts to go to the seaside for the first time but is denied entry at a checkpoint. Interestingly, Israel’s version of the Oscars is facing government defunding after The Sea received the highest honor.)

An emerging trend of films led by Palestinians and addressing difficult topics is finally beginning to crest even without major corporate backing – the distribution company agreed to release the aforementioned epic, Jordan’s official submission to the Oscars, which will start its selective cinema run in January; well-known stars joined as executive producers. The company also represents the Palestinian entry for the Oscars, generational epic Palestine 36, and is executive producer on The Voice of Hind Rajab, which drew rave reviews and a major award at the Venice Film Festival; that film, which recreates the death of a young child in Gaza with her real voice, will be released across Europe by a distribution partner, and has {yet to find|not