The Encampments is a 2025 American documentary film directed and produced by Michael T. Workman and Kei Pritsker about the 2024 Palestine solidarity campus encampments at Columbia University and other pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses during the Gaza war. Macklemore serves as an executive producer and it is distributed by Watermelon Pictures.[3]
| The Encampments | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by |
|
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Watermelon Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $221,060[2] |
It had its world premiere at CPH:DOX on March 25, 2025, and debuted in New York City at the Angelika Film Center.[4]
Subject
editThe Encampments explores the 2024 Palestine solidarity campus encampments at Columbia University and other pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, such as the Palestine solidarity encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles. The film features some leaders of the protests at Columbia, including Mahmoud Khalil, Grant Miner, and Sueda Polot.[5][6] The film also features Bisan Owda, Ali Abunimah, and Jamal Joseph, and Columbia alumna Rabbi Abby Stein.[6][7]
Production
editIn March 2025, it was announced that Workman and Pritsker had directed a documentary about the 2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations, with Macklemore set to executive produce and Watermelon Pictures distributing.[8][9]
Release
editThe release of The Encampments was pushed up due to the detention of Khalil by ICE and Columbia's expulsion of Miner.[6]
The film had its world premiere at CPH:DOX on March 25, 2025.[10] It debuted in New York City at the Angelika Film Center, with sold-out screenings on March 27-29.[4]
Reception
editIn a review for IndieWire, Siddhant Adlakha praised The Encampments for "its sense of contemporary and historical detail, owed to both footage shot by the filmmakers, as well as by the protesters themselves." He compared it favorably to the documentary October 8 in its use of archival images to provide appropriate historical context.[11]
A review in the Columbia Daily Spectator called the film a "testament to the strength of the community born within the student-led pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia, and how hope and belief can grow, even in the face of institutional backlash" that offers an "insightful and intimate look into what happened within the gates, well beyond mainstream coverage."[12]
According to the online arts magazine Hyperallergic, The Encampments "extricates the movement from the grips of mainstream and conservative media narratives and places it back in the hands of its organizers."[13]
References
edit- ^ "The Encampments". CPH:DOX. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ "The Encampments". The Numbers. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ Horton, Adrian (2025-03-29). "From campus to police state: a new documentary goes inside the Columbia university protests". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ a b Horton, Adrian (2025-03-29). "From campus to police state: a new documentary goes inside the Columbia university protests". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ Contreras, Russell (March 13, 2025). "Documentary featuring Mahmoud Khalil to be released this month". Axios. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c "'The Encampments' Review: Timely Doc Covers 2024 U.S. Campus Protests Through the Eyes of the Students". Variety. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ Keene, Louis (2025-03-28). "What Mahmoud Khalil says about Gaza and Israel in 'The Encampments' documentary". The Forward. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (March 10, 2025). "Watermelon Pictures Unveils Macklemore-Produced Doc 'The Encampments' Featuring Detained Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ "Hip-Hop Star Macklemore on New Film "The Encampments" & Why He Speaks Out Against Israel's War on Gaza". Democracy Now!.
- ^ "CPH Dox Unveils 2025 Competition Programs and Juries". CPH:DOX. February 13, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (2025-03-25). "'The Encampments' Review: A Rousing Documentary Goes Inside Columbia Pro-Palestine Protests". Indiewire. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Chen, Emily. "Review: 'The Encampments' is an intimate look into Columbia's pro-Palestinian movement". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ Nayyar, Rhea (2025-04-02). "The Encampments Documentary Tells Columbia It's Not Over Yet". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
External links
edit- Official website
- The Encampments at CH:DOX 2025
- The Encampments at IMDb
- The Encampments at Rotten Tomatoes