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In March of this year, two documentaries exploring the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023 attacks arrived in theaters just days apart. One, titled “October 8”, centered on the “emergence of antisemitism on university grounds, on online platforms and on the streets” after militants killed more than 1,200 people in Israel’s southern region, the majority being non-combatants. This documentary, produced by a well-known actress, was widely released by an maverick film company that has also handled a Trump biopic and a Jamal Khashoggi documentary. Promotion for the film took place on mainstream programs, and it eventually earned more than $1.3m domestically, a high total for a political documentary.

Meanwhile, the second documentary, The Encampments, encountered greater obstacles. A documentary on student demonstrations against Israel’s retaliatory destruction of the Gaza Strip, focusing in part on protest organizer Mahmoud Khalil – who was later detained by federal authorities for his activism – got no support from famous TV hosts. Its limited theatrical run at a New York theater led to threats of violence, an act of property damage in the cinema entrance and removal of ads online. That it was released at all – and made $80,000 in its debut weekend, a notable achievement for the independent film market – is thanks to a new distribution company, an upstart, Palestinian-American founded film-financing and -distribution company founded by siblings the Ali brothers to support movies presenting Palestinian views find viewers they otherwise would not, in a industry that has historically overlooked or marginalized such stories.

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 less organized, yet growing. The second anniversary of the October 7th events throws the contrast into sharper relief – recently saw the limited release of “The Road Between Us”, a non-fiction film tracking a retired Israeli general’s mission to rescue his family members from Hamas forces on 7 October. A gripping Taken-like tale of endurance, pain and grief that omits Israel’s subsequent killing of at least 66,000 people in Gaza in retaliation, The Road Between Us received endorsement from celebrities and won the audience choice prize for best documentary at a prestigious cinema event. US distribution rights were rapidly acquired by a consulting firm.

It is challenging to get any hot-button, politically challenging film funded, let alone released in the US, particularly during the second Trump administration. But films featuring Palestinian perspectives, or films challenging the narrative of a authority that has used the tragedies of 7 October into a weapon of war justifying an internationally recognized genocide in the region, have found it particularly difficult, occasionally unfeasible, to connect with viewers. “I have never produced a film about Palestine that’s ever been distributed,” said one director, the director of Coexistence, My Ass!, a documentary about an Israeli comedian confronting her upbringing as “the literal poster child for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process” in the aftermath of the widespread devastation of the territory.

After a successful festival circuit, the director, who is Lebanese Canadian, had hopes for a release agreement for Coexistence, My Ass!. “We thought that there could be a possibility that the film could break through just based on the comedian’s distinct outlook – it’s such a novel approach of examining the issue,” 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 another film’s self-release recently. That film, a searing documentary by an Israeli-Palestinian collective about generational efforts to fight against occupation in a small West Bank community, won a Oscar award under difficult circumstances for outstanding documentary; shortly after, local settlers severely beat a co-director, who was then arrested by soldiers reportedly ridiculing the prize. It remains unavailable for streaming 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 grand narrative on multiple generations of a Palestinian family forced from their home in 1948, also sought distribution after a strong festival run, but faced hesitation from distributors over the “content theme”. “We had high hopes that one mainstream distributor would agree to release it,” said the Palestinian American director. One conversation with an undisclosed firm concluded, according to the filmmaker, with a rejection, citing an overloaded schedule. “That is precisely what they said to another Palestinian movie that debuted recently at a film festival. It seems like fear of controversy,” she said.

The truth, 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 steered clear. But one studio recently acquired the international streaming rights to Red Alert, a scripted mini-series produced in part by an Israeli fund, which depicts the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that, per the logline, “turned southern Israel into a war zone, challenging human decency and forging heroism through turmoil”. The studio CEO touted the series as proof 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 dramatized show based on eyewitness stories of the attack that will premiere on its two-year mark.

Meanwhile, “I don’t think a single Palestinian film has ever gotten mainstream distribution in the United States”, said the director, who has since formed her own distribution company, Visibility Films, in wake of the roadblocks. “Nobody has truly been prepared to assume the chance on demonstrating that these movies can attract broad audiences.”

“It’s unfortunate that we haven’t had that same support,” said the founder. “Not a single film has been acquired by a mainstream streamer.” Nevertheless, “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, sadly, like the streamers are not following suit.” (A number of famous individuals were among those who signed a rebuke calling the pledge a “document of misinformation”; several cited Israel’s Oscar submission of a film titled “The Sea”, a film about a Palestinian boy who attempts to go to the beach for the first time but is denied entry at a checkpoint. Notably, the national film awards is facing government defunding after the film received the highest honor.)

An emerging trend of Palestinian-led, challenging films is starting to gain momentum even without major corporate backing – Watermelon agreed to release All That’s Left of You, the official entry from Jordan to the Academy Awards, which will start its selective cinema run in the coming year; prominent actors joined as executive producers. The company also handles the Palestinian entry for the Oscars, multi-generational story Palestine 36, and is a producer on The Voice of Hind Rajab, which received critical acclaim and a significant prize at Venice; this movie, which recreates the death of a young child in Gaza with her real voice, will be released across Europe by a sales company, and has {yet to find|not