October 8, Globalize the Intifada Movie, Plays to Packed Theaters

Last week several Scarsdale social media posts popped up announcing the one week only showing of the documentary “October 8, Globalize the Intifada.” Many group texts also circulated to publicize the movie. Messages on social media urged attendance by more than just a homogeneously Jewish audience. Those advocating for attendance wanted diverse viewership and “not a preaching to the choir” event as one post mentioned. There was a solicitation for packed attendance in the theaters. Some commentators thought that they should buy tickets regardless if they showed up to watch the documentary. I cannot attest to all showings but in my particular screening, practically every seat was taken.

The first shots of the movie were taken in the long vertical rectangular shape of a smart phone video. For so long I had purposely avoided videos on social media. I realized now how this brutal attack was broadcast and captured as no other before: in intense and public detail.

But quickly the movie turned from the accounts of violence on October 7 to focus on its effects on the United States. It outlined the professional planning of the pro-Hamas, pro-Palestine protests across the country, first on social media and then on university campuses. Protests were made to seem like natural grassroot reactions but the movie presented evidence indicating they were systematically designed over many years and supported by organized terrorist groups with substantial funding.

With this topic front and center in the media, there might not be new information in the documentary for anyone who has been following it closely for the past year and half. However, the insights and details put the information into chronological order and an organized, digestible narrative that sheds some light on what happened and how this could affect the future –not necessarily in the Middle East – but here in the United States.

I interviewed movie attendees as they walked out of the theater and collected responses that ranged from feelings of anger, sadness, shock, and hopelessness. However, they all agreed that the film was a must-see.