Five new documentaries shed light on the post-October 7 American experience

JTA — A host of new documentaries is showcasing a wide array of experiences stemming from the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, and its aftermath, particularly in the United States.

The shock assault saw Hamas invade southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza — and with it, a worldwide spike in antisemitism and anti-Israel activity.

Three of the movies — including one in wide release — interview Jewish Americans about their experience with antisemitism on campus and beyond.

Another documentary takes cameras inside the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel student encampments last spring. It features as a narrator one protester who has become a symbol of US President Donald Trump’s campus crackdown on what the White House has called “Hamas sympathizers.”

And a fifth, coming to Paramount+ later this month, pays special attention to the children who experienced the Hamas onslaught firsthand, some of whom were held hostage or lost family members.

Here’s a rundown of the many October 7-related options on large and small screens.

‘October 8’

“October 8” covers the rise of antisemitism in the United States following October 7, 2023, with a broad portrait of the Jewish American experience, including that of Jewish students.

The documentary, which was released in theaters on March 14, was directed by Wendy Sachs. It features interviews with actress Debra Messing as well as former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg, who has released a documentary on Hamas’s sexual violence.

Speaking over Zoom with the Jewish publication Kveller, Sachs said, “I think of the audience as a global audience.”

“I made this film not for the Jewish community, although it’s affirming for the Jewish community, it’s really important for the Jewish community, and the Jewish community is embracing this film,” she said. “It was intentionally made for a non-Jewish audience, for them to understand what antisemitism looks like today, for them to see, when they see a ‘Zionists not allowed’ sign, that means ‘Jew.’”

The Briarcliff Entertainment documentary has earned more than $1 million since its premiere, according to Deadline. It has been screened in wide-release and has been shown in over 100 theaters. It is now available on digital streaming platforms.

‘The Encampments’

“The Encampments” tells the story of the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel student protests at Columbia University and across the country last spring. It maps the experience of three student leaders of the protest encampment at Columbia: Mahmoud Khalil, Grant Miner and Sueda Polat.

The documentary’s release was accelerated after Khalil’s arrest by ICE last month over his involvement in the Columbia protests, where the Palestinian graduate student was a negotiator. Miner, who is Jewish and was a graduate student union leader involved in the protests, was expelled by Columbia days later.

Macklemore, an American rapper who has released music condemning Israel and supporting student protesters, is an executive producer on the film, which was directed by Michael T. Workman and Kei Pritsker. Pritsker, whose father is Jewish, is a longtime critic of Israel, and the film is sympathetic to the students it depicts.

The documentary premiered March 28 at the Angelika Film Center in New York and is estimated to have pulled in over $80,000 during its first screenings, according to Deadline, which reported that the movie could have the highest per-screen average opening for a documentary after 2018’s “Free Solo.” It’s now opening in Los Angeles and other cities.

‘Blind Spot’

First released last fall, “Blind Spot” — focused exclusively on the experiences of Jewish US college students concerned about antisemitism — was one of the first documentaries about the aftermath of October 7. It has now begun streaming on the Jewish Broadcasting Service.

The film includes firsthand testimonies on the rise in antisemitism from more than two dozen students at more than a dozen schools. It also provides context for the antisemitism that existed in schools before the October 7 attack, according to the documentary’s website. “Blind Spot” was produced by Ironbound Films with Leonard Gold as the executive producer.

‘The New Jew: Days of War’

“The New Jew: Days of War” is the latest project featuring Guri Alfi, an Israeli comedian who has previously traversed the United States seeking to explain the American Jewish experience to Israelis.

Through interviews with hostage families, activists, and students, the documentary explores the perspective of American Jews in a post-October 7 society.  It was produced by Israel’s Public Broadcasting Corporation and premiered in North America at the Palo Alto JCC in March.

‘The Children of October 7’

The pro-Israel influencer Montana Tucker is behind this documentary, which is set to start streaming on Paramount+ later this month and then appear on MTV. It focuses on children who experienced the October 7 attack firsthand, including former hostages and children whose parents were kidnapped or killed.

In a statement last month when Paramount acquired the movie, Tucker called the movie “one of the most important projects I’ve ever been part of.” She has shown clips of the film on her social media accounts.

Ohad Yahalomi was an innocent/loving father and husband. He was viciously kidnapped on October 7 from his home with his family, separately. His wife Batsheva and daughter Yael were able to escape from their captors. Eitan was taken separately and was held hostage for 52 days… pic.twitter.com/a36njheNDJ

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— Montana Tucker (@montanatucker) February 26, 2025

Tucker, who has traveled to Israel several times since the Hamas attack, said that “as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, hearing these children share the horrors they endured — losing their families, their homes, and their innocence in a single morning — felt hauntingly familiar.”

“I’m grateful they trusted me with their stories and that they have this platform to share their truth,” she said.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.