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This past March, a pair of documentaries exploring the consequences of the October 7th, 2023 attacks arrived in theaters just days apart. One, named October 8, centered 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 Israel’s southern region, most of them civilians. 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 occurred on mainstream programs, and it ultimately grossed more than $1.3m in the United States, a significant sum for a documentary with political themes.

The other film, “The Encampments”, encountered greater obstacles. A documentary on student demonstrations against Israel’s retaliatory destruction of Gaza, 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 NYC cinema led to intimidation attempts, an act of property damage in the cinema entrance and removal of ads online. That it was released at all – and earned $80,000 in its opening weekend, a notable achievement for the specialty box office – is due to a new distribution company, an emerging, Palestinian American-led film-financing and -distribution company founded by siblings Hamza and Badie Ali to support movies presenting Palestinian views find viewers they otherwise would not, in a market that has historically overlooked or marginalized such stories.

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

These two films demonstrate the different landscapes for Israeli and Palestinian narratives in the US – the first more unified and frequently supported by established organizations, the other fractured and more ad hoc, yet growing. 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 documentary tracking a retired Israeli general’s mission to rescue his family members from militants on 7 October. A compelling thriller-like story of survival, trauma and mourning that omits Israel’s subsequent killing of at least 66,000 Palestinians in retaliation, The Road Between Us received support from celebrities and won the audience choice prize for best documentary at a major film festival. US distribution rights were quickly snapped up by a media company.

It is challenging to get any controversial, politically charged movie financed, let alone released in the United States, particularly during the current political climate. But films featuring Palestinian perspectives, or films questioning the dominant story of a government that has used the tragedies of October 7th into a tool for conflict defending an globally condemned humanitarian crisis in Gaza, have found it particularly difficult, occasionally unfeasible, to connect with viewers. “I have never produced a film about Palestine that’s ever been released,” said one director, the creator behind Coexistence, My Ass!, a film about an comedian from Israel reexamining her past as “the symbolic figure for the peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians” in the aftermath of the widespread devastation of the territory.

After a successful festival circuit, the director, who is of Lebanese and Canadian descent, had aspirations for a release agreement for Coexistence, My Ass!. “We thought that there could be a possibility that the film could succeed just based on the comedian’s distinct outlook – it’s such a novel approach of looking at the issue,” the creator said. But agreements fell through; the production group ultimately opted for a self-release strategy starting later this month, handled by the same company that arranged another film’s self-distribution earlier this year. 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 bittersweet Oscar for best documentary; weeks later, local settlers severely beat a film-maker, who was then detained by soldiers allegedly mocking the prize. It’s still not available for online viewing in the US but earned over $2.5 million at the US box office (making it the highest grossing 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 sweeping epic on multiple generations of a family from Palestine forced from their home in 1948, also sought distribution after a successful festival appearances, but faced hesitation from distributors over the “subject matter”. “We had high hopes that one mainstream distributor would come through,” said the Palestinian American director. One conversation with an undisclosed firm ended, according to the director, with a pass, referencing an overloaded schedule. “That’s exactly what they said to another Palestinian movie that more recently premiered at a film festival. It seems like political cowardice,” she said.

The truth, according to a founder of Watermelon Pictures, is that “very few distributors exist that are going to support Palestinian films”. Large streaming platforms have steered clear. But one studio recently purchased the global streaming rights to Red Alert, a four-part scripted series produced in part by an Israeli production fund, which depicts the 7 October Hamas attacks on the country that, per the logline, “transformed southern Israel into a conflict area, testing humanity and forging heroism through turmoil”. The company leader touted the series as evidence of the company’s “continued commitment to storytelling through creative quality and accuracy”. And another platform acquired the American rights for One Day in October, a dramatized show inspired by first-hand accounts of the incident that will debut on its second anniversary.

At the same time, “I don’t think a solitary Palestinian movie has ever gotten wide release in the United States”, said the director, who has since formed her own release firm, Visibility Films, in wake of the roadblocks. “Nobody has truly been prepared to take a risk on demonstrating that these movies can attract broad audiences.”

“It’s unfortunate that we have not received that equivalent backing,” said the co-founder. “None of our movies has been picked up by a mainstream streamer.” Still, “the industry is definitely shifting”, he said, pointing to the recent commitment signed by more than 3,900 prominent entertainment figures to avoid collaboration with Israeli cinema organizations “associated with severe human rights issues” against the Palestinian people, noting: “However, it appears, sadly, like the streaming platforms are not joining this movement.” (A number of famous individuals were among those who endorsed a criticism calling the pledge a “document of misinformation”; several cited Israel’s Oscar submission of The Sea, a film about a young Palestinian who tries to visit the beach for the first time but is denied entry at a security post. Notably, the national film awards is under threat of funding cuts 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 major corporate backing – Watermelon signed on to distribute All That’s Left of You, the official entry from Jordan to the Oscars, which will begin its limited theatrical release in January; prominent actors joined as executive 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 Venice; that film, which reconstructs the killing of a young child in Gaza with her actual recordings, will be released across Europe by a sales company, and has {yet to find|not