Watch director Michael T. Workman in a Q&A session.
The Galilee Foundation is hosting a charity screening of The Encampments on 21 September at Vue Cinema in Leicester Square. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Michael T. Workman, and gives you a rare chance to hear from the creative force behind the film.
Presented by Watermelon Pictures, The Encampments documents the American student movement that began in April 2024, sparked by protests at Columbia University over institutional ties to the war on Gaza. The demonstrations were led by student Mahmoud Khalil, who was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp. He highlighted how the university had previously shifted its stance on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
Students established outdoor pro-Palestinian encampments, filling East Butler Lawn with tents. These scenes evoked the spirit of the 1960s anti-Vietnam War protests and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The film features several leaders of the Columbia protests, including Mahmoud, Grant Miner, and Sueda Polat. It also includes appearances by Bisan Owda, Ali Abunimah, Jamal Joseph, and Rabbi Abby Stein. Other universities featured in the documentary include the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The release of The Encampments was delayed following the detention of Mahmoud Khalil. Efforts to screen the film at UCLA by Students for Justice in Palestine were also disrupted, with events being moved by the police.
Ticket sales from the screening will go to funding educational projects supporting Palestinian youth. Check in with FACT for the best things to do in London.
GO: Visit www.galileefoundation.org.uk for more information.