Watermelon Footage co-founders Badie Ali and Hamza Ali, who had a high-profile 2025-26 Oscars season with their Worldwide Function Movie nominee The Voice Of Hind Rajab and shortlisted titles Palestine 36 and All That’s Left Of You, are again on the awards path with documentary American Physician.
The movie facilities on three American physicians of differing backgrounds who volunteered their companies in besieged hospitals in Gaza, treating Palestinian youngsters grievously injured in Israel’s sustained bombardment and invasion of the occupied territory.
The pair have been on the ninth version of Egypt’s El Gouna Movie Competition (GFF) final week with the movie, directed by Oscar-nominee and Emmy-winner Poh Si Teng, the place it received the Cinema For Humanity Viewers Award. Their firm can be the North American distributor of Who Killed Alex Odeh?, concerning the homicide of the American Palestinian activist in California in 1985, which featured in GFF’s Function Documentary Competitors this yr.
A Palestinian boy in Gaza undergoes surgical procedure in ‘American Physician’
Watermelon Footage
These are simply a few examples from Watermelon Footage’ rising slate that champions tales from Palestine and past, in addition to amplifies “marginalized voices that wouldn’t sometimes have a platform.”
Deadline caught up with the 2 Ali brothers at GFF’s Competition Plaza by the Crimson Sea to speak about their future imaginative and prescient for Watermelon Footage, the influence of The Voice Of Hind Rajab‘s success, releasing American Physician, and the ideological shift in Hollywood relating to telling tales about Palestine.
“We’ve been seeing a renaissance with a number of the A-listers,” stated Badie. “There’s a shift in momentum. You’re seeing individuals come out and begin working with us due to our stance, not regardless of it, so it’s unprecedented to say the least.”
You’ll be able to learn the interview beneath, which has been edited for size and readability.
DEADLINE: You based Watermelon Footage in 2024, and in simply two years, you’ve expanded your slate with so many nice movies. What’s your imaginative and prescient for the upcoming few years?
HAMZA: We’re going to proceed on this route of amplifying underrepresented voices, particularly from the area and past, in addition to marginalized voices that wouldn’t sometimes have a platform.
We’re very excited to be right here in El Gouna. We’re releasing El Sett in December, which may be very resonant. We’re additionally engaged on a improvement slate, which goes to be extra about reaching mainstream audiences and humanizing our individuals by means of leisure.
DEADLINE: Talking of mainstream audiences, do you’ve got plans to begin distributing exterior of North America?
HAMZA: We act as a global gross sales agent, so we do sub-distribute to different distributors in several areas, however ultimately, we wish to be extra of a worldwide distribution firm.
DEADLINE: I’d like to speak a bit about The Voice Of Hind Rajab. Did you envision its international resonance and the Oscar-nomination?
HAMZA: With Kaouther’s imaginative and prescient and clearly the story itself, which is highly effective and unhappy, we weren’t tremendous shocked by the success the movie had. After all, we’re completely satisfied that it acquired a nomination as a result of it amplifies the attain of the movie. Movie distribution may be very tough, however we’re completely satisfied to see the place it landed.
BADIE: As well as, we had two different movies that have been shortlisted alongside The Voice of Hind Rajab. One was Palestine 36 and the opposite was All That’s Left Of You. Final yr, three out of the fifteen shortlisted movies have been Palestinian, which speaks to the trigger and the second. The nice factor is that audiences and members of the Academy are beginning to see the significance of this work and the way these movies have a better influence on humanity.
‘All That’s Left Of You’
Twenty Twenty Imaginative and prescient
DEADLINE: I attended a screening of All That’s Left Of You with its director Cherien Dabis and she or he was speaking concerning the problem of getting individuals to look at movies about Palestine. What do you suppose works and what doesn’t when it comes to getting a giant viewers to see these movies?
BADIE: We put such an emphasis on the Academy Awards and the marketing campaign to push for it as a result of that’s top-of-the-line methods to amplify past our group. Our communities sometimes do come out to see these movies, however we want extra mainstream audiences.
Clearly, international language is a problem, however we’re making an attempt. The Voice of Hind Rajab getting nominated opened the door for a Hulu sale. Hulu taking it has opened one other door for individuals who don’t know concerning the subject and are actually being extra uncovered to the content material. All these things works in tandem. That’s what Hamza and I have been speaking about. Our subsequent improvement slate is a bit bit extra industrial, perhaps English language for our area. That once more, opens a door to our tradition that makes content material extra accessible.
HAMZA: A part of what we do is making an attempt to get these various audiences. Our advertising strategy is 4 quadrant. We’re making an attempt to get as broad of an viewers out as attainable, and we’re seeing that. Proper now, we’re releasing American Physician and we’ve been completely satisfied to see that the audiences are extraordinarily various. That’s the aim. We’re going to proceed to do this by means of the content material, and distribution technique.
DEADLINE: You had an attention-grabbing strategy to the American Physician advertising marketing campaign, through which you supplied healthcare staff free tickets to screenings. Are you able to inform me concerning the thought course of behind that?
HAMZA: We needed to remain true to our ethos. It’s extra than simply movie and leisure. It was our method of honoring the work of the healthcare staff. It was such a good looking sight to see these nurses, docs and EMTs popping out of their scrubs and their white coats, and sporting scrub caps within the theater. Simply one other method of creating cinema with a function.
DEADLINE: You’ve labored with a number of prime administrators like Kaouther Ben Hania, Annemarie Jacir, and Cherien Dabis to call a number of. Who else is in your want listing?
HAMZA: We have now some thrilling ones on the horizon already that haven’t been introduced, so that you’ll see quickly. We’re increasing and broadening our scope. Our aim is to usher in extra of those adjoining causes or aligned individuals throughout the trade. Possibly individuals who have been a bit blacklisted for the unsuitable causes, and ensuring that they’ve a comfortable touchdown with us, and that can give them not solely a house however a very sturdy place for his or her movies to debut.
BADIE: We’ve been seeing a renaissance with a number of the A-listers. When individuals consider Hollywood, they suppose it has a sure ideology. However the actuality is the general public who work inside Hollywood are literally aligned. There’s a shift in momentum. You’re seeing individuals come out and begin working with us due to our stance, not regardless of it, so it’s unprecedented to say the least.
Melissa Barrera
Arturo Holmes/Getty Photographs
DEADLINE: Do you see hope with extra A-list Hollywood actors like Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara changing into extra concerned in supporting Palestinian tales?
HAMZA: Completely. One instance I’d like to spotlight is Melissa Barrera. She’s superb, and she or he was earlier than her time with the entire Scream scenario.
Now, a lot of the forged are popping out saying we must always have stood by her, like Jenna Ortega did. And one other instance, not film-related, however Macklemore’s scenario with Ed Sheeran. I feel Ed Sheeran made an enormous mistake, not solely by not supporting Palestine, however by additionally censoring his fellow artists. Individuals don’t need to see censorship, and so, that’s the place we are available and say, ‘You have got a house right here with us.’
