The Encampments

"Encampments" is a powerful, thoughtful, and necessary documentary that demands to be seen. It offers a clear and compelling look at the courage of students standing up for justice, and the institutional forces working to silence them. The film clearly highlights the tension between the freedoms this country was built on and the reality of how those freedoms are challenged today.

Well-researched, emotionally resonant, and carefully constructed, this documentary does more than document a moment, it captures a movement. It reminds us that the right to speak out is not just theoretical; it's lived, defended, and, frequently punished.

This film is essential viewing for anyone who cares about civil liberties, protest, and the true meaning of democracy. It's not just informative, it's a wake-up call.

The documentary does a really good job filling in the details and timeline of the encampments at Columbia and other universities that were lost in the media narrative as the events were unfolding. I learned more about the role Mahmoud Khalil played in the negotiations with Columbia, and about his family's history and what drives him to fight for justice. It was also good to hear more about Jewish students who joined in the encampments, and how their faith calls on them to support the liberation of all people, and the struggle that some of them go through to unlearn what they are raised to believe about Palestinians.

This is undoubtedly the most valuable watch of my lifetime. It is captivating from start to finish. Despite the attempts to diminish screen time, it demands to be witnessed. This documentary directly challenges the rhetoric that the media imposed on those engaging in their rights to protest peacefully, all while further informing supporters of the movements across the world.

The entire theatre sobbed from start to finish, all of us left slowly with puffy eyes. This is moving, heartbreaking, enraging - you can't finish this without feeling a demand to be more involved and more informed. I hope that it continues to get the screen time it truly deserves.

I will be recommending this to everyone as a must watch film.

These students, especially Columbia students, are going down in history as heroes. They already are heroes, there is no group of humans I respect more than these youth. This film will give you a glimpse of just how much power Israel has over American politics, it's actually terrifying. If this movie doesn't prove we're under foreign occupation I don't know what does. It also does an excellent job at humanizing not only Palestinians but these beautiful students that the media tried to demonize. Those paying attention will not know to never believe mainstream media again.

The only thing i wished it included was the Columbia boycotts against apartheid South Africa. A must watch!

The filmmakers artfully document the events of the Columbia University Encampments in a way that allows the audience to experience what it is like to participate in direct action campaigns -- but without losing sight of the fight for Palestinian lives at the centre of this action. It shows enough footage of the current crisis in Gaza to demonstrate the conditions and the urgency of the situation without becoming disrespectful or insensitive. It also juxtaposes the lived experience of people in the encampments with the aggressive media spin and disconcerting government policies being enacted now in regards to free speech. To round this all out, the filmmakers place this protest into context with Columbia University's history of meaningful protest in regards to the Vietnam War.

Masterful. Thank you.