October 8 (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = October H8TE

| image = File:October H8TE poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Wendy Sachs

| writer =

| screenplay =

| story =

| based_on =

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Inbal B. Lessner
Nimrod Erez
Kelley Hartmann

}}

| starring =

| narrator =

| cinematography = {{Plainlist|

Tom Gat
Cameron Edwards-Wallis

}}

| editing = {{Plainlist|

Inbal B. Lessner
Nimrod Erez

}}

| music = Sharon Farber

| studio =

| distributor = Briarcliff Entertainment

| released = {{Film date|2025|3|14}}

| runtime = 100 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $1.2 million{{cite web|url= https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/October-8-(2025)#tab=summary|title=October 8|website=The Numbers|access-date=April 8, 2025}}

}}

October H8TE – The Fight for the Soul of America (October 8){{cite web |last=Carey |first=Matthew |date=2025-01-29 |title=Briarcliff Entertainment Sets March Release Date For 'October 8', Documentary On Explosion Of Antisemitism After Hamas Attack On Israel |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/october-8-documentary-release-briarcliff-entertainment-1236272007/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} is a 2025 documentary film produced by Wendy Sachs and Debra Messing.

Synopsis

The film covers the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.{{cite web |author=Griffin |first=Laura |date=2024-11-27 |title=South Orange Filmmaker Takes a Hard Look at Rise in Antisemitism in U.S. Since Oct. 7 Terror Attacks |url=https://villagegreennj.com/towns/south-orange/south-orange-filmmaker-takes-a-hard-look-at-rise-in-antisemitism-in-u-s-since-oct-7-terror-attacks/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=The Village Green}}{{cite web |last=Brownstein |first=Bill |date=2025-01-07 |title=Brownstein: Documentary on spiralling antisemitism makes its Canadian debut in Montreal |url=https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article660621.html |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Montreal Gazette}} It describes how "anti-Israel sentiment came to a fever pitch in the immediate aftermath of the massacre" and argues such sentiment "morphed into antisemitism".{{cite web |last=Scheck |first=Frank |date=2025-03-12 |title='October 8' Review: Disturbing Documentary Surveys Surge in Antisemitism After Hamas Attacks |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/october-8-review-antisemitism-documentary-debra-messing-1236161351/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} The film includes interviews with Michael Rapaport, Noa Tishby, U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Sheryl Sandberg, Dan Senor, Scott Galloway, and Mosab Yousef.{{cite web |last=Carey |first=Matthew |date=2024-12-13 |title=Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires Oscar Contender 'October H8te,' Documentary On Exploding Rise Of Antisemitism After October 7 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/october-h8te-documentary-briarcliff-entertainment-acquisition-1236203283/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} It explores the organization Students for Justice in Palestine, and argues that SJP promoted anti-Zionism and antisemitism on campus. The film also covers the role of social media in allegedly stoking antisemitism among young people.{{cite web |last=Cashman |first=Greer Fay |date=2024-11-07 |title='On October 8, American Jews woke up': New documentary 'October H8TE' explains what's at stake |url=https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-827902 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=The Jerusalem Post}}

In the film, University of California, Santa Barbara's (UCSB) student body president describes how she was harassed online and on campus after she condemned the October 7 attack.{{cite web |last=Melman |first=Lana |date=2025-01-14 |title=Documentary exposes campus protests and hateful vitriol for what they are |url=https://www.jns.org/documentary-exposes-campus-protests-and-hateful-vitriol-for-what-they-are/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Jewish News Syndicate}}

Production

Co-produced by Wendy Sachs and Debra Messing, the film was co-edited by Inbal Lessner and Nimrod Erez.{{cite web |date=2025-02-17 |title=About the Filmmakers |url=https://www.octoberh8te.com/about-the-filmmakers |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=oct-8-landing}}{{Primary source inline|date=April 2025}}

Sachs said she wanted the film to show a non-Jewish audience "what antisemitism looks like today—for them to see, when they see a 'Zionists not allowed' sign, that means 'Jew'".{{cite web |last1=Gilson |first1=Grace |last2=Fabian |first2=Emanuel |last3=Levaton |first3=Stav |date=2025-04-05 |title=Five new documentaries shed light on the post-October 7 American experience |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/five-new-documentaries-shed-light-on-the-post-october-7-american-experience/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2025-04-05&utm_medium=email |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Times of Israel}}

Critical reception

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|72|8.4|18|ref=yes |access-date=April 20, 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/october_8|title=October 8|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=April 20, 2025}}

The documentary was shown at Miami's Jewish Film Festival.{{cite web |last=Solomon |first=Michelle F. |date=2025-01-06 |title=Directors with Miami ties examine Oct. 7 attacks in Israel at Jewish Film Festival |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/things-to-do/article297893478.html |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Miami Herald}} Sharon Farber's score was nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award.{{cite web |date=2024-11-21 |title=2024 HMMA Winners & Nominations |url=https://www.hmmawards.com/2024-hmma-winners-nominations/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Hollywood Music In Media Awards}}{{cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2024-11-06 |title=Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/hollywood-music-in-media-awards-nominations-songs-scores-emilia-perez-elton-john-1236202806/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Variety}}

The Times of Israel criticized the film for not closely examining Qatar's influence, citing its own reporting claiming Qatar contributed as much as $4.7 billion to US academic institutions between 2001 and 2021.{{cite web |last1=Steinberg |first1=Jessica |last2=Magid |first2=Jacob |last3=Bachner |first3=Michael |last4=Fabian |first4=Emanuel |date=2024-11-05 |title='October H8te' documentary aims to understand US college alignment with Hamas |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/october-h8te-documentary-aims-to-understand-us-college-alignment-with-hamas/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=The Times of Israel}} In The Jerusalem Post, Greer Fay Cashman called the film Sachs's "crowning achievement". In Haaretz, Judy Maltz said the film paints a "black-and-white picture" of the conflict.{{cite web |last=Maltz |first=Judy |date=2024-10-23 |title='OCTOBER H8TE': What a New Film on Repercussions of Israel-Hamas War on U.S. Jews Leaves Out |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2024-10-23/ty-article-magazine/.premium/october-h8te-what-a-film-on-repercussions-of-israel-hamas-war-on-u-s-jews-leaves-out/00000192-adf8-daee-a9fb-effad0510000 |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Haaretz}}

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post praised the film's "often-moving first-person student testimony" and noted its easily disproven claim that Hamas may be behind SJP, while lamenting its lack of criticism of the Israeli government and military.{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Michael |date=2025-03-13 |title='October 8' documentary probes the rise in U.S. antisemitism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2025/03/13/october-8-antisemitism-college-documentary/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called out some cherry-picking and "questionable conclusions", adding, "But there's no denying the importance of its message and the need for corrective action by political, academic, religious and civil leaders".

Siddhant Adlakha criticized the film for "its omissions, which circumvent any history of Israeli-Palestinian conflict both before and after Oct. 7, 2023."{{cite web |last1=Adlakha |first1=Siddhant |date=24 March 2025 |title='October 8' is a danger to both student protesters and Jewish Americans |url=https://joysauce.com/october-8-is-a-danger-to-both-student-protesters-and-jewish-americans/ |access-date=26 March 2025 |website=Joy Sauce}} Writing for Variety, Alissa Simon called it "one-sided", but wrote that it was still "worth seeing" for its coverage of antisemitism and the political fallout of the campus protests.{{cite web |last=Simon |first=Alissa |date=2025-03-24 |title='October 8' Review: A Searing Look at the Eruption of Antisemitism on College Campuses and Social Media |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/october-8-review-1236346839/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Variety}} In Defector, Jake Romm wrote, "calling it a film at all is generous" and that watching it is more akin "to being trapped in a room with someone as they show you posts on their phone". Romm described the film as being about American Zionist paranoia and asserted that it is the pro-Palestinian movement that is being persecuted.{{cite web |last1=Romm |first1=Jake |title=The Paranoid Fantasies Of 'October 8' |url=https://defector.com/the-paranoid-fantasies-of-october-8 |access-date=23 April 2025 |website=Defector|date=23 April 2025 }}