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In March of this year, two non-fiction films examining the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 attacks arrived in theaters just days apart. One, named “October 8”, centered on the “rise in antisemitism” on university grounds, on social media and on the streets” after militants killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, the majority being non-combatants. The film, executive-produced by a well-known actress, was widely released by an maverick distribution studio that has also managed a film about Donald Trump and a documentary on Jamal Khashoggi. Promotion for the film took place on mainstream programs, and it eventually grossed more than $1.3m domestically, a high total for a documentary with political themes.

Meanwhile, the second documentary, “The Encampments”, faced a tougher road. This film examines student demonstrations against Israel’s retaliatory destruction of Gaza, partly centered on activist a key figure – who was later detained by federal authorities for his activism – received no celebrity morning show promotion. Its specialty release at a New York theater led to threats of violence, an act of property damage in the theater’s lobby and social media censorship. That it was able to premiere – and earned $80,000 in its debut weekend, a notable achievement for the specialty box office – is thanks to a new distribution company, an upstart, Palestinian-American founded film funding and release firm started by brothers Hamza and Badie Ali to help films with Palestinian perspectives find viewers they otherwise would not, in a market that has otherwise ignored or deprioritized them.

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

These two films evince the distinct environments for stories from Israel and Palestine in the US – one concentrated and often backed by established organizations, the second more fragmented and more ad hoc, yet growing. The second anniversary of the 7 October attacks throws the contrast into sharper relief – recently saw the limited release of “The Road Between Us”, a non-fiction film following a retired Israeli general’s efforts to save his son’s family from Hamas forces on 7 October. A compelling Taken-like tale of survival, trauma and mourning that omits Israel’s subsequent killing of at least 66,000 Palestinians in response, The Road Between Us received endorsement from celebrities and won the People’s Choice Award for best documentary at a prestigious cinema event. US distribution rights were rapidly acquired by a consulting firm.

It’s difficult to get any hot-button, politically challenging film funded, let alone released in the US, particularly during the second Trump administration. But movies presenting Palestinian viewpoints, or films challenging the narrative of a government that has used the tragedies of October 7th into a tool for conflict defending an globally condemned humanitarian crisis in the region, have found it especially challenging, occasionally unfeasible, to connect with viewers. “I have never produced a movie on Palestine that’s ever been distributed,” said a filmmaker, the director of a documentary titled “Coexistence, My Ass!”, a film about an comedian from Israel reexamining her past as “the literal poster child for the peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians” in the aftermath of the near-complete destruction of the territory.

With an acclaimed festival run, the filmmaker, who is of Lebanese and Canadian descent, had aspirations for a release agreement for their documentary. “We thought that there could be a possibility that Coexistence could break through just based on the subject’s distinct outlook – it’s such a unique way of examining the situation,” the director said. But deals never worked out; the team ultimately opted for a independent distribution plan starting later this month, managed by the same company that arranged another film’s self-distribution recently. That film, a powerful non-fiction work by an Israeli-Palestinian collective about generational efforts to resist occupation in a Palestinian village, won a Oscar award under difficult circumstances for outstanding documentary; weeks later, Israeli settlers violently attacked a film-maker, who was then arrested by military personnel reportedly ridiculing the prize. It remains unavailable for online viewing in the US but made more than $2.5m at the US box office (making it the top-earning of the Oscar-nominated documentaries this year).

‘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 family from Palestine displaced in 1948, also looked for a distributor after a successful festival appearances, but faced hesitation from distribution companies over the “subject matter”. “We had high hopes that a major distributor would agree to release it,” said the American-Palestinian filmmaker. One conversation with an unnamed company concluded, according to the filmmaker, with a rejection, referencing too many films. “That is precisely what they told another Palestinian film that debuted recently at a festival. It seems like political cowardice,” she said.

The truth, according to Watermelon co-founder, is that “there are not a lot of distributors that are going to back Palestinian cinema”. Large streaming platforms have avoided involvement. But one studio recently acquired the international streaming rights to a series called “Red Alert”, a four-part scripted series partly produced by an Israeli production fund, which depicts the October 7th events on Israel that, per the logline, “transformed southern Israel into a conflict area, testing humanity and forging heroism through chaos”. The company leader promoted the show as evidence of the company’s “continued commitment to storytelling through artistic excellence and factual precision”. And a different service acquired the US 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.

Meanwhile, “I believe a single Palestinian film has ever gotten mainstream distribution in the US”, said the filmmaker, who has since formed her own release firm, Visibility Films, in wake of the obstacles. “Nobody has truly been prepared to assume the chance on proving that these films could be seen widely.”

“It is regrettable that we haven’t had that equivalent backing,” said the founder. “None of our movies has been acquired by a mainstream streamer.” Still, “the industry is definitely shifting”, he said, pointing to the recent pledge signed by more than 3,900 influential industry personalities to avoid collaboration with Israeli film institutions “associated with severe human rights issues” against the Palestinian people, adding: “However, it appears, unfortunately, like the streaming platforms are not joining this movement.” (A number of famous individuals 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 Palestinian boy who attempts to go to the seaside for the first occasion but is denied entry at a checkpoint. Notably, Israel’s version of the Oscars is under threat of funding cuts after The Sea won the top prize.)

An emerging trend of films led by Palestinians and addressing difficult topics is finally beginning to crest even without major corporate backing – Watermelon signed on to distribute 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 came on board as producers. The company also represents Palestine’s official Oscar submission, multi-generational story Palestine 36, and is executive producer on another documentary, which drew rave reviews and a major award at the Venice Film Festival; this movie, which reconstructs the killing 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