A Powerful New Documentary Goes Inside the Student Struggle for Gaza

At 4 a.m. on April 17, 2024, students on Columbia University’s Morningside campus began assembling tents. By the time the rest of campus had woken up, the first “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” was fully constructed. The tent-covered lawn and around-the-clock sit-in was an escalation by students who had, for many months, been calling for their school to cut ties with companies that were profiting from the war in Gaza.

The Columbia encampment lasted nearly two weeks and inspired hundreds of similar protests around the world. Now, an immersive new documentary called The Encampments takes viewers onto the Columbia campus and into the hearts and motivations of the student crusaders who put their academic futures in jeopardy by taking a stand. The film also raises questions about where the priorities and finances of Columbia — and other educational institutions like it — really lie.

One of the most important elements of the movie is its debunking of the public narrative about the actions and motivations of the protesters. You can’t help but feel a little bit of fury hearing New York mayor Eric Adams declare that the protesters are “here to create discord and divisiveness” when the documentary provides so much opposing evidence. Much of the footage from the encampment involves students peacefully organizing, passionately speaking, singing songs, distributing food, dancing, reading poetry and watching documentaries together. Far from divisive, it’s an inspiration to behold.

Compounding that sense of unfairness are news reports featured in the film suggesting protesters were using anti-semitic language and intimidating Jewish people on campus. Those soundbites are juxtaposed with footage of multiple Jewish allies speaking at the encampment and yarmulke-wearing students sitting on the lawn in solidarity. At one point, a havdalah ritual takes place.

“It’s completely farcical to imply in any way that Jewish people were being persecuted or being driven off the encampment,” student Grant Miner tells directors Kei Pritsker and Michael T. Workman at one point. Miner, a man of Jewish faith, was a prominent figure in the protests. “We don’t tolerate that! We’re internationalists. We believe that this is a struggle that unites all people.”

In addition to the day-to-day battles of the protest, the film also conveys the dogged negotiations, stalemates and various hostilities between Columbia’s administration and the protesters — albeit entirely from the students’ perspective. Footage of Columbia University president Dr. Minouche Shafik appears a couple of times (speaking at a congressional hearing on anti-semitism, and in a post-protest PR video), but she does not provide comment to the filmmakers directly.

This is where The Encampments leaves itself open to criticism. The film doesn’t concern itself with the voices of those who oppose the students’ ideologies, beyond some soundbites from TV shows, political hearings and news conferences. And though keeping its focus on the student camp provides a powerful encapsulation of the movement, there are moments where more voices would have been useful. (Shocking footage of Zionists attacking and verbally harassing pro-Palestine protesters on campus, for example, would carry even more weight if members of those pro-Israel groups were asked to justify their actions.)

Singular viewpoint aside, there is much to be devastated about in the course of watching The Encampments. The exhaustive destruction of Gaza and the many thousands of lives lost. The underhanded influence of corporations on our nation’s most prestigious educational institutions. The willingness of powerful entities to squash peaceful protest. The continued threats to the safety and well-being of young people standing up for their beliefs.

It’s mentioned only in captions at the end of the film, but because of his prominent involvement in the encampment protest, Grant Miner was expelled from Columbia last month — punished along with 22 other students who were suspended, expelled or had their degrees revoked. Another student prominently featured in The Encampments, Mahmoud Khalil, was arrested in March by ICE agents and forced into deportation proceedings despite his status as a permanent resident. Khalil has no criminal history or charges against him.

There is a bright spot in the final moments of The Encampments, however: evidence that the efforts of the Columbia students were not for naught. Gaza journalist Bisan Owda talks about what their commitment meant for her, a refugee in her own land.

“I didn’t miss a single video of the students,” she says, “who talk about Palestine, educate others on the Palestinian cause with true political and historical knowledge. It is one of the most important things that made people open their eyes. Those videos brought us to tears. We looked at those videos and thought, ‘Thank God. People finally recognize us.’”

‘The Encampments’ screens at The Roxie (3125 16th Street, San Francisco) from April 4–16, 2025. Q&As will be held after the screenings on April 4, 12 and 16. The documentary can also be seen at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood (2966 College Ave., Berkeley) April 4-10 and The New Parkway Theater (474 24th St., Oakland) on April 7.