Jump to content

October 8 (film)

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

October H8TE
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWendy Sachs
Produced by
Cinematography
  • Tom Gat
  • Cameron Edwards-Wallis
Edited by
  • Inbal B. Lessner
  • Nimrod Erez
Music bySharon Farber
Distributed byBriarcliff Entertainment
Release date
  • March 14, 2025 (2025-03-14)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.3 million[1]

October H8TE – The Fight for the Soul of America (October 8)[2] is a 2025 documentary film produced by Wendy Sachs and Debra Messing.

Synopsis

[edit]

The film covers the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[3][4] It describes how "anti-Israel sentiment came to a fever pitch in the immediate aftermath of the massacre" and argues such sentiment "morphed into antisemitism".[5] The film includes interviews with Michael Rapaport, Noa Tishby, U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Sheryl Sandberg, Dan Senor, Scott Galloway, and Mosab Yousef.[3][6] It explores the organization Students for Justice in Palestine, and argues that SJP promoted anti-Zionism and antisemitism on campus.[7] The film also covers the role of social media in allegedly stoking antisemitism among young people.[8]

In the film, University of California, Santa Barbara's (UCSB) student body president describes how she was harassed online and on campus after she condemned the October 7 attack.[9]

Production

[edit]

Co-produced by Wendy Sachs and Debra Messing, the film was co-edited by Inbal Lessner and Nimrod Erez.[10][non-primary source needed]

Sachs said she wanted the film to show a non-Jewish audience "what antisemitism looks like today—for them to see, when they see a 'Zionists not allowed' sign, that means 'Jew'".[11]

Critical reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.[12]

The documentary was shown at Miami's Jewish Film Festival.[13] Sharon Farber's score was nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award.[14][15]

The Times of Israel criticized the film for not closely examining Qatar's influence, citing its own reporting claiming Qatar contributed as much as $4.7 billion to US academic institutions between 2001 and 2021.[7] In The Jerusalem Post, Greer Fay Cashman called the film Sachs's "crowning achievement".[8] In Haaretz, Judy Maltz said the film paints a "black-and-white picture" of the conflict.[16]

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post praised the film's "often-moving first-person student testimony" and noted its easily disproven claim that Hamas may be behind SJP, while lamenting its lack of criticism of the Israeli government and military.[17] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called out some cherry-picking and "questionable conclusions", adding, "But there's no denying the importance of its message and the need for corrective action by political, academic, religious and civil leaders".[5]

Siddhant Adlakha criticized the film for "its omissions, which circumvent any history of Israeli-Palestinian conflict both before and after Oct. 7, 2023."[18] Writing for Variety, Alissa Simon called it "one-sided", but wrote that it was still "worth seeing" for its coverage of antisemitism and the political fallout of the campus protests.[19] In Defector, Jake Romm wrote, "calling it a film at all is generous" and that watching it is more akin "to being trapped in a room with someone as they show you posts on their phone". Romm described the film as being about American Zionist paranoia and asserted that it is the pro-Palestinian movement that is being persecuted.[20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "October 8". The Numbers. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  2. ^ Carey, Matthew (2025-01-29). "Briarcliff Entertainment Sets March Release Date For 'October 8', Documentary On Explosion Of Antisemitism After Hamas Attack On Israel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  3. ^ a b Griffin, Laura (2024-11-27). "South Orange Filmmaker Takes a Hard Look at Rise in Antisemitism in U.S. Since Oct. 7 Terror Attacks". The Village Green. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  4. ^ Brownstein, Bill (2025-01-07). "Brownstein: Documentary on spiralling antisemitism makes its Canadian debut in Montreal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  5. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (2025-03-12). "'October 8' Review: Disturbing Documentary Surveys Surge in Antisemitism After Hamas Attacks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  6. ^ Carey, Matthew (2024-12-13). "Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires Oscar Contender 'October H8te,' Documentary On Exploding Rise Of Antisemitism After October 7". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  7. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica; Magid, Jacob; Bachner, Michael; Fabian, Emanuel (2024-11-05). "'October H8te' documentary aims to understand US college alignment with Hamas". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  8. ^ a b Cashman, Greer Fay (2024-11-07). "'On October 8, American Jews woke up': New documentary 'October H8TE' explains what's at stake". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  9. ^ Melman, Lana (2025-01-14). "Documentary exposes campus protests and hateful vitriol for what they are". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  10. ^ "About the Filmmakers". oct-8-landing. 2025-02-17. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  11. ^ Gilson, Grace; Fabian, Emanuel; Levaton, Stav (2025-04-05). "Five new documentaries shed light on the post-October 7 American experience". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  12. ^ "October 8". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  13. ^ Solomon, Michelle F. (2025-01-06). "Directors with Miami ties examine Oct. 7 attacks in Israel at Jewish Film Festival". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  14. ^ "2024 HMMA Winners & Nominations". Hollywood Music In Media Awards. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  15. ^ Willman, Chris (2024-11-06). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  16. ^ Maltz, Judy (2024-10-23). "'OCTOBER H8TE': What a New Film on Repercussions of Israel-Hamas War on U.S. Jews Leaves Out". Haaretz. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  17. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (2025-03-13). "'October 8' documentary probes the rise in U.S. antisemitism". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  18. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (24 March 2025). "'October 8' is a danger to both student protesters and Jewish Americans". Joy Sauce. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  19. ^ Simon, Alissa (2025-03-24). "'October 8' Review: A Searing Look at the Eruption of Antisemitism on College Campuses and Social Media". Variety. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  20. ^ Romm, Jake (23 April 2025). "The Paranoid Fantasies Of 'October 8'". Defector. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=October_8_(film)&oldid=1293967538"