From ‘October 8’ to ‘The Encampments,’ these new documentaries illuminate the post-Oct. 7 American experience
The five new documentaries include ‘October 8,’ ‘The Encampments,’ ‘Blind Spot,’ ‘The New Jew: Days of War’ and ‘The Children of October 7’

Tessa Veksler, an interviewee in the documentary “October 8.” (Briarcliff Entertainment)
(JTA) — A host of new documentaries are showcasing a wide array of experiences stemming from Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and its aftermath, particularly in the United States.
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 student encampments last spring. It features as a narrator one protester who has become a symbol of President Donald Trump’s campus crackdown on what his administration says are “Hamas sympathizers.”
And a fifth, coming to Paramount+ later this month, pays special attention to the children who experienced Oct. 7 firsthand, including by being taken captive or losing family members.
Here’s a rundown of the many Oct. 7-related options on large and small screens.
“October 8”
“October 8” covers the rise of antisemitism in the United States following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel 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 and features interviews with Debra Messing and Sheryl Sandberg.
“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,” Sachs told Kveller over Zoom. “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 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, 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 college students concerned about antisemitism — was one of the first documentaries about the aftermath of Oct. 7 to land. It now has 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 antisemitism that existed in schools before the Oct. 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-Oct. 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 that is set to start streaming on Paramount+ later this month and then appear on MTV. It focuses on children who experienced the Oct. 7 attack firsthand, including some who were taken captive and later released and others who had their parents kidnapped or killed.
Tucker, who has traveled to Israel several times since the Oct. 7 attack, called the movie “one of the most important projects I’ve ever been part of” in a statement when Paramount acquired the movie, clips of which she has shown on her social media accounts.
“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,” she said. “I’m grateful they trusted me with their stories and that they have this platform to share their truth.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion Yes, the attack on Gov. Shapiro was antisemitic. Here’s what the left should learn from it
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to a Jewish society at Yale exposed deep rifts between US Jews
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Fast Forward Survivors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 embrace at Auschwitz, marking annual March of the Living
-
Fast Forward Could changes at the FDA call the kosher status of milk into question? Many are asking.
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.