Distributor Watermelon Photos (which launched final 12 months) is proud to unveil its newest enterprise, a brand new streaming platform referred to as Watermelon+. Debuting at this time, Thursday, Might 8, the streamer goals to focus on the work of Palestinian filmmakers and world cinema as a complete. This comes at a time when some streamers are dealing with criticism for eradicating Palestinian movies from their platform totally.
Watermelon+ comes on the heels of profitable theatrical runs for the documentary “The Encampments” and the characteristic debut for Oscar nominee Farah Nabulsi, “The Trainer.” Nabulsi’s Oscar-nominated brief “The Current” will even be obtainable upon launch, whereas “The Encampments” streams later this summer time. Dozens of acclaimed movies together with “From Floor Zero” (Palestine’s Official 2025 Academy Awards entry) will likely be showcased on the platform, in addition to Oscar nominees “Omar” (2014 Finest Worldwide Movie), “5 Damaged Cameras” (2013 Finest Documentary Function), and “Theeb” (2016 Finest Worldwide Movie).
Co-founded by CEOS and brothers Badie and Hamza Ali, Watermelon Photos has got down to create a wider viewers for Palestinian cinema, bringing forth gems which might be troublesome to search out elsewhere.
Of this new initiative, Badie mentioned in an official assertion, “Curating these movies to make sure that they had a correct dwelling was a mission we have been honored to start and it’s one we’re dedicated to carrying ahead. That is only the start. Our imaginative and prescient is to develop Watermelon+ into vital platform for underserved communities all over the place, a real dwelling for daring, obligatory storytelling that deserves to be seen.”
Hamza added, “Watermelon+ isn’t only a platform for movies — it’s a launchpad for the following technology of underserved artists whose tales will form the long run. It’s not solely a preservation of our previous; it’s gasoline for our future.”
“The Encampments” was in a position to have a specific affect as its launch coincided with the arrest and detainment of one among its topics, Mahmoud Khalil, one of many leaders of the Columbia College protests depicted within the documentary. In his evaluation for IndieWire, Siddhant Adlakha wrote of the movie, “It must be no shock that ‘The Encampments’ is a full-throated name to pro-Palestinian activism. What makes it artistically triumphant, nevertheless, is its sense of latest and historic element, owed to each footage shot by the filmmakers, in addition to by the protesters themselves.”
Supporters can watch and subscribe starting at this time for $7.99 a month or $79.99 yearly at watch.watermelonpictures.com/.