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This past March, a pair of non-fiction films exploring the consequences of the October 7th, 2023 attacks reached theaters within days of each other. The first, named “October 8”, centered on the “emergence of antisemitism on college campuses, on social media and on the streets” after Hamas forces killed more than 1,200 people in Israel’s southern region, most of them civilians. This documentary, executive-produced by a well-known actress, was broadly distributed by an independent distribution studio that has also handled a film about Donald Trump and a documentary on Jamal Khashoggi. Promotion for the film took place on mainstream programs, and it ultimately grossed more than $1.3 million domestically, a significant sum for a documentary with political themes.

Meanwhile, the second documentary, “The Encampments”, encountered greater obstacles. A documentary on student demonstrations against the retaliatory actions in of the Gaza Strip, focusing in part on activist a key figure – who was later taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his advocacy – got no support from famous TV hosts. Its limited theatrical run 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 able to premiere – and made $80,000 in its debut weekend, a notable achievement for the specialty box office – is thanks to a new distribution company, an emerging, Palestinian-American founded film-financing and -distribution company founded by siblings Hamza and Badie Ali to support movies presenting Palestinian views find viewers they typically cannot, in a market that has otherwise ignored or deprioritized them.

‘A chilling effect’: is Hollywood too scared to touch hot-button documentaries?

These two films evince the distinct environments for Israeli and Palestinian narratives in the US – one concentrated and often backed by more mainstream institutions, the other fractured and more ad hoc, yet growing. The second anniversary of the 7 October attacks highlights this disparity even more – recently saw the limited release of The Road Between Us, a non-fiction film tracking a former Israeli military leader’s efforts to save his family members from militants on 7 October. A compelling 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, this documentary received endorsement from well-known figures and won the People’s Choice Award for best documentary at a prestigious cinema event. US distribution rights were rapidly acquired by a media company.

It is challenging to get any hot-button, politically challenging film financed, let alone released in the US, particularly during the current political climate. But movies presenting Palestinian viewpoints, or films challenging the narrative of a authority that has used the tragedies of 7 October into a tool for conflict defending an internationally recognized genocide in Gaza, have found it particularly difficult, occasionally unfeasible, to connect with viewers. “I’ve never made a movie on Palestine that’s ever been distributed,” said a filmmaker, the creator behind a documentary titled “Coexistence, My Ass!”, a film about an Israeli comedian reexamining her past as “the symbolic figure for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process” in the wake of the near-complete destruction of the territory.

After a successful festival circuit, the director, 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 distinct outlook – it’s such a unique way of examining the situation,” the creator said. But agreements fell through; the team ultimately opted for a self-release strategy starting later this month, handled by the identical firm that orchestrated a previous documentary’s self-release recently. The other movie, a searing documentary by an collaborative group about generational efforts to fight against occupation in a small West Bank community, won a Oscar award under difficult circumstances for outstanding documentary; weeks later, Israeli settlers violently attacked a film-maker, who was then detained by soldiers reportedly ridiculing the award. It’s still not available for online viewing in the United States but made more than $2.5m at the US box office (making it the top-earning of the Oscar-nominated documentaries this year).

‘We need to do something’: the company releasing Palestinian films no one else will

A separate movie, “All That’s Left of You”, a sweeping epic on three generations of a family from Palestine forced from their home in 1948, also sought distribution after a successful festival appearances, but ran into concern from distribution companies over the “subject matter”. “We were optimistic that one mainstream 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 is precisely what they said to another Palestinian movie that more recently premiered at a film festival. It all feels 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”. Major streaming companies have steered clear. But one studio recently acquired the global streaming rights to Red Alert, a four-part scripted series produced in part by an Israeli fund, which depicts the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that, according to the description, “transformed southern Israel into a conflict area, challenging human decency and creating heroes through chaos”. The company leader touted the series as proof of the firm dedication 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 first-hand accounts of the attack that will premiere on its two-year mark.

At the same time, “I believe a solitary Palestinian movie has ever gotten wide release in the United States”, said the director, who has recently established her own distribution company, a new company, in response to the obstacles. “No one’s really been willing to take a risk on proving that these films could be seen widely.”

“It is regrettable that we haven’t had that same support,” said the co-founder. “None of our movies has been picked up by a mainstream streamer.” Nevertheless, “the sector is clearly changing”, he said, pointing to the recent pledge signed by over 3,900 prominent entertainment figures to not work with Israeli cinema organizations “implicated in genocide and apartheid” against Palestinians, noting: “But it seems, unfortunately, like the streaming platforms are not joining this movement.” (Several celebrities were among those who signed a rebuke labeling the commitment a “document of misinformation”; several cited Israel’s Oscar submission of a film titled “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 security post. Notably, the national film awards is facing government defunding after the film received the highest honor.)

An emerging trend of films led by Palestinians and addressing difficult topics is starting to gain momentum even without significant corporate support – Watermelon signed on to distribute the aforementioned epic, Jordan’s official submission to the Oscars, which will start its selective cinema run in the coming year; well-known stars came on board as producers. Watermelon also represents the Palestinian entry for the Oscars, multi-generational story “Palestine 36”, and is executive producer on The Voice of Hind Rajab, which received critical acclaim and a major award at the Venice Film Festival; that film, which reconstructs the killing of a five-year-old girl in the region with her real voice, will be released across Europe by a distribution partner, and has {yet to find|not