Latest news with #AngelikaFilmCenter
New York Post
29-06-2025
- New York Post
NOHO hellscape: Opioid clinic welcomes junkies jabbing their necks and OD'ing in playgrounds to posh nabe
Scenes from 'Night of the Living Dead' are playing out a stone's throw from the famed Angelika Film Center and A-lister apartments in NoHo, where zombified junkies and drug dealers have overtaken entire blocks. At the heart of the problem is a $30 million taxpayer-funded nonprofit called Greenwich House, neighbors said, which employs a so-called 'harm reduction' philosophy. Critics counter that it enables addicts rather than getting them to quit. 14 This scene unfolded on West Houston and Crosby Streets Thursday during the morning rush hour. J.C. Rice Advertisement At its opioid clinic on Mercer Street, some 1,300 addicts are handed drugs like methadone – a narcotic given to help with withdrawal symptoms from stronger opioids like heroin — along with fentanyl test strips, which can detect the deadly chemical in drug supplies, and naloxone kits, which can reverse overdoses. Each morning, addicts line up at 6 am as if queueing up for the latest iPhone drop. 14 The lineup every weekday morning on Mercer Street waiting for the methadone clinic to open its doors at 6:30. Leonardo Munoz Advertisement The Post witnessed the depravity two days this week, with addicts contorted and splayed out on sidewalks and stoops, while others jabbed needles in their necks, arms and legs in broad daylight — as commuters and schoolkids warily walked by. Other junkies collapsed on park benches, feet away from frolicking children, losing their shoes as they stumbled over. Another young man shuffled into moving traffic on West Houston, and was later seen kneeling on the pavement as medics tried to treat him. 14 Addicts were openly shooting up on the block during the morning commute. J.C. Rice Residents are fed up that their posh neighborhood – where a one-bedroom apartment recently sold for $2.2 million and celebs like Gigi Hadid live – has spiraled into a hellscape. Advertisement 'Walking on Houston between Mercer and Crosby is an absolute disaster,' decried resident Linda Sondik. 'I have seen people being taken away in ambulances who clearly overdosed, and on the streets people are openly shooting up. It's tragic and scary.' 14 Many were seen passed out on sidewalks and stoops along West Houston. J.C. Rice Neighbor Lilly Migs said, 'The kids will be playing in the playground and there'll be people screaming and wailing on the other side.' Advertisement 'Parents have called 911 and sometimes paramedics never show up.' 'I know the clinic is supposed to be helping people, but I don't think they're getting the help they need there,' she added. 14 Neighbors say people overdose on the streets every single day. Leonardo Munoz 'I think it's unfortunately started to attract a different type of crowd. People that maybe do not want the help that they have to offer.' The Post witnessed scores of dealers roaming the block, looking to take advantage of a vulnerable population. 'Every day, there are at least two or three overdoses, just around this corner,' said Hassane Elbaz, who's run a coffee cart at the corner of Broadway and Houston for 25 years. 14 Elbaz has been at the corner of West Houston Street and Broadway for 25 years. J.C. Rice 'Paramedics save a lot of them. But about every two months, one of them dies.' Advertisement Elbaz said there are seven or eight dealers just around his corner. 'See this guy – he has a fanny pack full of drugs,' he said pointing to a short older man dressed in black. 'He's the one who sells fentanyl. He killed four people in three days,' he claimed. 14 Many passed out on park benches on Mercer Street, up the street from the clinic. J.C. Rice Part of the police's inability to intervene stems from Albany's move to decriminalize the possession and sale of needles in 2021. After that, junkies essentially had the green light to shoot up in public. Advertisement The taxpayer-subsidized clinic has been growing exponentially since the pandemic, and in the last six months, locals say things have gotten out of hand. 14 These kinds of scenes unfold every morning on the block. J.C. Rice Greenwich House has been around since the 1970s – it was one of the city's first methadone clinics. It pulls in close to $8 million a year in government funds – about a third of its budget – from both the city and state. Another large chunk comes from healthcare billing and Medicaid. The nonprofit was running on a $15 million budget until around 2021 — when lefty politicians like Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal started backing it, appearing in glossy photo spreads in its annual reports. Advertisement 14 People were seen jabbing their necks, arms and legs. J.C. Rice From that time, the budget rose each year, financial statements show, doubling to almost $30 million by 2024. Greenwich House also gets money from the family of far-left billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, with son Jonathan Soros and wife Jennifer are listed among the top donors in the organization's latest annual report, giving $50,000 last year. The clinic claims it offers care 'through a harm-reduction framework, which means meeting people where they are on their journey to recover' – meaning not forcing them to quit until they decide they're ready. Advertisement 14 The clinic said it's not the problem. J.C. Rice 14 A man was hit by oncoming traffic on West Houston. J.C. Rice But the problem, critics say, is that's not how addiction works. 'The idea is that people should only seek treatment when they're ready. But most people addicted to drugs are addicted for their whole lives,' said Charles Fane Lehmann, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. 'They often regard efforts to get people into treatment . . . as actively hostile to the interests of people who use drugs.' 14 Neighbors say things got worse in the last six months. J.C. Rice 14 Many head to the park on Mercer Street after the clinic. J.C. Rice A clinic spokeswoman contended 'it is a common and unfortunate misconception that the presence of a treatment center causes public disorder. We are not the source; we are part of the response apparatus.' Greenwich House's executive director, Darren Bloch, was senior advisor to former Mayor Bill de Blasio and director of the mayor's office of strategic partnership, before joining the organization in 2020. He made $230,000 in 2022, the last year for which Greenwich House made tax filings public. It was under de Blasio that the Big Apple heralded the opening of the nation's first two supervised injection sites in 2021, which progressive politicians promised would help address the surge in fatal overdoses across the city. 14 Children play in the same park on Mercer where much of this happens. Leonardo Munoz They have only continued to rise since. About 2,300 New Yorkers died of drug overdoses last year – almost three times more than a decade ago, according to data from the state's Health Department. Most – about 1,650 people – died from fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. In comparison, 372 died of heroin and 188 died of pills like oxycodone.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wes Anderson's ‘The Phoenician Scheme' Tees Up Strong Indie Weekend With Angelika Film Center Takeover
Focus Features has done a full takeover of the Angelika Film Center with on all six screens for filmmaker Wes Anderson's latest. There's a lobby and café redesign for full immersion, a jazz band, custom cocktails, t-shirts and totes as the film, which clocked a lengthy standing ovation at its recent Cannes world premiere (see Deadline review) bows theatrically in limited release at six locations including NYC's Alamo Brooklyn and AMC Lincoln Square and AMC's The Grove, Century City and Burbank in LA. Around this time in 2023, Anderson's Asteroid City, also from Focus, delivered a massive jolt to the arthouse and specialty world with a $790k three-day weekend, also at six theaters, including a takeover of the Landmark LA. That opening per-theater average of $132k was the biggest in years for a helmer known to energize the specialty box office. His Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014 opened at $800k on four screens for a PSA of $200k — still considered the one to top in absolute. More from Deadline 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life', 'The Last Rodeo', 'Friendship' Counterprogram 'Lilo & Stitch' & 'Mission: Impossible' Holiday Weekend - Specialty Preview How Wes Anderson Devised 'The Phoenician Scheme' - Crew Call Podcast At Cannes Wes Anderson Teases Next Project With Richard Ayoade & Roman Coppola - Cannes The Angelika's immersive experience features a Marseille Bob's themed bar with customized menu items including a signature champagne cocktail and photos taken by a film-inspired Egyptian elevator and vintage train. The theater is offering a premium ticket for $60 with a t-shirt, large popcorn and drink (including cocktail) combo and King Size Hershey's Bar. A standard experience ticket is $30. Q&As Friday with Anderson and cast members Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera at the 4:40 pm and 5:40 pm shows. Del Toro stars as wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, who names his only daughter (Threapleton), a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Darjeeling Express, Isle Of Dogs, Rushmore and more) will be introducing shows at 7 pm. and 7:20 pm. The director's large and devoted following is welcome as independent films have generally struggled post Covid and the 2025 indie box office only recently perked up from a long post-holiday lull. It's been feeling some love in recent weeks from a lively Cannes and an overall crush in ticket buying at the North American box office. 'Wes means a huge amount to me personally as an artist, and I feel like I'm probably not the only one in the room who would say something like that, and just getting to be even a small part of any of his movies truly means the world to me,' said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski at screening of The Phoenician Scheme at Jazz At Lincoln Center this week. 'I can speak for all of us at Focus when I say it is just such a joy, such a pleasure, such a point of pride to be part of this ride with Wes and the entire team.' New openings: IFC debuts period action-drama written and directed by John Maclean in moderate release on 412 screens. Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, the film follows Tornado (Kōki,) who finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father's traveling puppet show crosses paths with a ruthless criminal gang led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). In an attempt to create a new life, Tornado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold from the gang's most recent heist. World premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival in February. Music Box Films presents , Jonathan Millet's debut feature that opened Cannes in 2024 (Deadline review here). Inspired by true events, the drama-thriller follows Hamid, a former literature professor from Syria, (rising French-Tunisian star Adam Bessa, César-nominated for his performance), living in France two years after being released from one of Bashar El-Assad's's jails. Haunted by the traumatic memories of his imprisonment, Hamid tirelessly searches for the man who tortured him, helped by members of a secret cell of other exiled Syrians hunting down war criminals. The film excavates the moral dilemmas migrants confront as they struggle to rebuild their lives and take control of their destinies. Written by Millet and Florence Rochat, also stars Tawfeek Barhom, Julia Franz Richter and Hala Rajab. Abramorama opens Jack Sumner's documentary at the Quad in NYC. In a career spanning sixty years, concert promoter and impresario Ron Delsener was the name behind virtually every major contemporary music concert in New York City for generations — from promoting the Beatles at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, to bringing David Bowie to Carnegie Hall and Patti Smith to the Palladium, to somehow convincing Simon and Garfunkel to bury the hatchet and play the biggest concert of all time in Central Park. Features Jon Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Cher, Art Garfunkel, Billy Joel, Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler, Gene Simmons, Paul Simon, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Stanley and Steven Van Zandt. Live events: Trafalgar presents j-hope tour , a live broadcast of the BTS star's concert from Osaka to 2,700+ cinemas including 631 across North America. Select encores on Sunday. Fathom is on about 800 screens in North America with and Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville). Encores on Sunday. Noting A24's Friendship, which has had a great run, is on 1,280 screens in week 4 (the distributor is opening horror wide on 2,400 screens), and Sony Pictures Classics Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, which had a strong debut last week, jumps to 526 screens from 60. MORE Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘We need to do something': the company releasing Palestinian films no one else will
In March, The Encampments, a documentary on the pro-Palestinian protest movement on US college campuses, opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York. The nonfiction theatrical marketplace has never been breezy in the US, but this is a particularly difficult time for documentaries, let alone films about hot-button issues considered politically sensitive or, under the new administration, outright dangerous; one of the Encampments' primary subjects, the Columbia University student-activist Mahmoud Khalil, remains in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) without charge for any crime. Large-scale distributors, including all of the major streaming services, are increasingly wary of anything deemed controversial, leaving such films as Union, on the Amazon Labor Union, or the Oscar-winning Palestinian-Israeli documentary No Other Land without distribution in the US. Nevertheless, over an exclusive first-weekend run, The Encampments made $80,000 at the Angelika – the highest per-screen average for a documentary since the Oscar-winning Free Solo in 2018. That number may sound like peanuts compared with, say, the multimillion theatrical haul of a Marvel movie, but it's a significant win for the specialty box office – and validation for a film whose mere existence, as a pro-Palestinian narrative, led to threats of violence at the Angelika, an incident of vandalism in the theater's lobby and social media censorship of its ads. That it reached a theater at all is the work of Watermelon Pictures, an upstart film financing and distribution company aiming to bring Palestinian and other marginalized voices to new audiences. The Chicago-based label, founded by brothers Hamza and Badie Ali in April 2024, is single-handedly hustling to get Palestinian films on screens large and small, filling a crucial hole in the entertainment market and providing an outlet for a long-underserved community. 'We see ourselves as a distributor that's willing to take risks,' Hamza Ali told the Guardian from the label's Chicago offices. For most of Watermelon's slate – including The Encampments, the West Bank-set narrative drama The Teacher and the Palestinian anthology film From Ground Zero – 'distributors aren't wanting to take the risk because of backlash. We see ourselves as a home for them. And there is an audience.' The Ali brothers first conceived of Watermelon Pictures – so named for the fruit that became a symbol of Palestinian resistance, sharing the colors of the national flag – in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks that precipitated Israel's ruthless war in Gaza, which has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians and destroyed nearly every home in the territory. The label honors their father Malik and uncle Waleed, Palestinian-Americans who, in 1976, founded MPI Media Group in Chicago as a small, bespoke distribution company; the entrepreneurs graduated from delivering film rolls at select screenings to TV rights, DVDs and foreign distribution deals. As, to their knowledge, the only Palestinian-led distribution company in North America, 'we came to the realization that we need to do something' in the wake of the war in Gaza, said Badie. Watermelon Pictures, as a label specifically devoted to the perspective of Palestine and other resistance movements, was 'an opportunity that we felt we had to do'. The brothers have focused, in part, on giving films that challenge the conventional US narrative on Palestine – one that invariably privileges the justifications of the Israeli state – a theatrical run. From Ground Zero, an anthology of shorts from 22 Palestinian directors on life and death in Gaza, played in select theaters and made the Oscar shortlist for best international film. In January, Watermelon acquired the US distribution rights for The Teacher, a political thriller from the Palestinian-British director Farah Nabulsi starring Saleh Bakri and Imogen Poots, whose distribution prospects languished after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023. The film, based on a real 2011 prisoner swap, when Israel freed more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one IDF soldier, hit US theaters in April. And this month, the company launched Watermelon+, a new streaming service that will serve as a home for its upcoming releases as well as several decades' worth of Palestinian cinema – films with limited reach or lapsed distribution rights, if they were even available in the west to begin with. 'It guarantees that we don't have to depend on anyone to make sure that these titles are seen,' said Badie. 'We'll always have our own platform, at least, as a backstop – if it's being rejected by this or that, it will have a home no matter what.' The subscription service, which costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 annually, has obtained the rights for 70 films – including Oscar nominees Omar, Five Broken Cameras and Theeb – with plans to expand beyond the Palestinian perspective. 'Palestine is not alone,' said Hamza. 'The pro-Palestine movement is growing, but we want to be inclusive and expand beyond that,' such as Hind Meddeb's documentary Sudan, Remember Us, a film on the 2019 Sudanese revolution that Watermelon acquired this month for a US release later this summer. 'The rising global south community is where the future is,' said Badie. 'And we just want to be ahead of it.' The eventual goal, according to the Alis, is to host a wide variety of content – reality TV, cooking shows, standup comedy and short films, some original and some acquired – that offer a different perspective from the still predominant trope of Arab and/or Muslim characters as perpetrators of violence. 'Our job is to show that this isn't who we are,' said Badie. Backlash to The Encampments, which mirrored efforts to keep theaters from playing the self-distributed No Other Land, only reinforced the company's mission. 'They're nervous about what we're doing,' said Badie. 'But at the same time, if we're not getting this heat, I feel like we're not doing our job. We really want to challenge the portrayal of how we're looked at.' The brothers are continually in search of new independent projects, nonfiction or fiction, but noted that, for the moment, Palestinian films are defaulting to Watermelon, as currently the only Palestinian-led business in town. 'Hopefully we see a time where other distributors want these films too, so that there is competition,' said Hamza. In the meantime, Watermelon will continue to pursue its twofold mission: provide an outlet for Palestinian and other marginalized perspectives and, as Badie put it, 'make far-reaching films that just humanize us and that appeal to a larger audience.' 'We're going to do our part,' added Hamza. 'It's representation and humanization.' The Encampments out in the UK and Ireland on 6 June
Business Mayor
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
Why are some trying to silence our film on Columbia's Gaza protests?
R ecently, The Encampments opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York to a record-setting box office for an independent film – along with a storm of controversy. For us, as the distributor, the atmosphere was far from celebratory. The theater was forced to hire additional security, notify police and prepare staff for harassment in response to protests and threats from people who hadn't even seen the film. What is so dangerous about Palestinian films? The Encampments offers unprecedented access to the student protest movement for divestment against Israel's genocide in Gaza that began at Columbia University and spread nationwide. It captures the raw, unfiltered reality of the encampments and the students who risked their futures to speak out. It directly challenges the dominant, distorted narrative portraying these protests as violent or antisemitic, revealing instead a disciplined, principled movement rooted in solidarity, anti-racism, free speech and human rights – with many Jewish students at the core. That, it seems, is enough to make many feel threatened. We're now in an era in which even mentioning the word 'Palestine' is treated as a provocation. Donald Trump has openly used 'Palestinian' as a slur to attack opponents. Under his second administration, suppression and fearmongering are reaching levels more typical of a dictatorship than a democracy. Student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil, featured in the film, and Rumeysa Ozturk have been snatched by plainclothes Ice officers, disappeared from public view and threatened with deportation for criticizing Israel. This isn't dystopian fiction. This is the United States in 2025. And yet, films like The Encampments are being met with hostility. Before opening weekend, an angry patron vandalized the Angelika lobby and berated staff. Meanwhile, social media ads for the film are being censored. Behind it all is a pattern: politically motivated efforts to silence Palestinian voices. It's not just wrong, it's a threat to our most fundamental freedom: the right to free speech. When the Academy-shortlisted documentary From Ground Zero, which we also distribute, was released, it was widely praised for its humanist lens and deliberate avoidance of politics. Despite that and near perfect reviews, CUFI (Christians United for Israel) sent letters to Academy voters urging them not to support the film and pressured theaters to pull it. After a screening was scheduled in Gainesville, Florida, the venue received threats from donors to withdraw funding. It's extremely unfair for venue owners to be put in such a situation by politically driven pressure campaigns. We hope that despite attempts to intimidate them, theaters will not succumb to the pressure, and instead will make the right moral and business decision to show these films, for which there is clearly an appetite. The pressure doesn't end with threats or vandalism. Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning No Other Land, was beaten by Israeli settlers and soldiers, seemingly in retaliation for filming what Israel wants hidden. According to Ballal, his name and the word 'Oscar' were shouted during the attack. And just last week, we were devastated to learn that the Gaza-based journalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike the very same week a film featuring her as the main subject was accepted into the Cannes film festival. In Miami Beach, the city's mayor threatened to shut down O Cinema for screening No Other Land. When elected officials dictate what art can or cannot be shown, we're no longer dealing with discourse – we're dealing with censorship. And yet, the tides are slowly turning. Attempts to silence these films have failed. No Other Land won an Academy Award. The assault on Ballal prompted international outcry. The mayor of Miami Beach backed down. CUFI's letters were largely ignored. And films such as From Ground Zero, No Other Land and The Encampments are proving through box office performance that there is a strong demand. Still, there is a long road ahead. Arabs and Muslims remain deeply underrepresented in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Zooming in further, Palestinians in specific are virtually invisible, with Mo Amer standing as a rare and singular exception. This is the crux: Palestinian films aren't dangerous because they incite violence. They're 'dangerous' because they offer a perspective contrary to the dominant narrative of the US government and Israel. The Encampments is not just a film – it's a test. Of courage, of integrity and of whether this country still believes in freedom of expression. Theaters that screen it are doing more than showing a documentary. They are standing up for the idea that cinema should remain a space for free speech and artistic expression. The question is: do all voices actually have an equal right to be heard – and if so, when will industry leaders stop being complicit in their silencing? The answer should have come long ago – but it's not too late.
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Why are some trying to silence our film on Columbia's Gaza protests?
Recently, The Encampments opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York to a record-setting box office for an independent film – along with a storm of controversy. For us, as the distributor, the atmosphere was far from celebratory. The theater was forced to hire additional security, notify police and prepare staff for harassment in response to protests and threats from people who hadn't even seen the film. What is so dangerous about Palestinian films? The Encampments offers unprecedented access to the student protest movement for divestment against Israel's genocide in Gaza that began at Columbia University and spread nationwide. It captures the raw, unfiltered reality of the encampments and the students who risked their futures to speak out. It directly challenges the dominant, distorted narrative portraying these protests as violent or antisemitic, revealing instead a disciplined, principled movement rooted in solidarity, anti-racism, free speech and human rights – with many Jewish students at the core. That, it seems, is enough to make many feel threatened. We're now in an era in which even mentioning the word 'Palestine' is treated as a provocation. Donald Trump has openly used 'Palestinian' as a slur to attack opponents. Under his second administration, suppression and fearmongering are reaching levels more typical of a dictatorship than a democracy. Student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil, featured in the film, and Rumeysa Ozturk have been snatched by plainclothes Ice officers, disappeared from public view and threatened with deportation for criticizing Israel. This isn't dystopian fiction. This is the United States in 2025. And yet, films like The Encampments are being met with hostility. Before opening weekend, an angry patron vandalized the Angelika lobby and berated staff. Meanwhile, social media ads for the film are being censored. Behind it all is a pattern: politically motivated efforts to silence Palestinian voices. It's not just wrong, it's a threat to our most fundamental freedom: the right to free speech. When the Academy-shortlisted documentary From Ground Zero, which we also distribute, was released, it was widely praised for its humanist lens and deliberate avoidance of politics. Despite that and near perfect reviews, CUFI (Christians United for Israel) sent letters to Academy voters urging them not to support the film and pressured theaters to pull it. After a screening was scheduled in Gainesville, Florida, the venue received threats from donors to withdraw funding. It's extremely unfair for venue owners to be put in such a situation by politically driven pressure campaigns. We hope that despite attempts to intimidate them, theaters will not succumb to the pressure, and instead will make the right moral and business decision to show these films, for which there is clearly an appetite. The pressure doesn't end with threats or vandalism. Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning No Other Land, was beaten by Israeli settlers and soldiers, seemingly in retaliation for filming what Israel wants hidden. According to Ballal, his name and the word 'Oscar' were shouted during the attack. And just last week, we were devastated to learn that the Gaza-based journalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike the very same week a film featuring her as the main subject was accepted into the Cannes film festival. In Miami Beach, the city's mayor threatened to shut down O Cinema for screening No Other Land. When elected officials dictate what art can or cannot be shown, we're no longer dealing with discourse – we're dealing with censorship. And yet, the tides are slowly turning. Attempts to silence these films have failed. No Other Land won an Academy Award. The assault on Ballal prompted international outcry. The mayor of Miami Beach backed down. CUFI's letters were largely ignored. And films such as From Ground Zero, No Other Land and The Encampments are proving through box office performance that there is a strong demand. Still, there is a long road ahead. Arabs and Muslims remain deeply underrepresented in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Zooming in further, Palestinians in specific are virtually invisible, with Mo Amer standing as a rare and singular exception. This is the crux: Palestinian films aren't dangerous because they incite violence. They're 'dangerous' because they offer a perspective contrary to the dominant narrative of the US government and Israel. The Encampments is not just a film – it's a test. Of courage, of integrity and of whether this country still believes in freedom of expression. Theaters that screen it are doing more than showing a documentary. They are standing up for the idea that cinema should remain a space for free speech and artistic expression. The question is: do all voices actually have an equal right to be heard – and if so, when will industry leaders stop being complicit in their silencing? The answer should have come long ago – but it's not too late. Hamza and Badie Ali are the co-founders of Watermelon Pictures, a Palestinian-owned film label dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices The Encampments will open in the UK in early 2025.
