Distributor Watermelon Pictures (which launched last year) is proud to unveil its latest venture, a new streaming platform called Watermelon+. Debuting today, Thursday, May 8, the streamer aims to highlight the work of Palestinian filmmakers and world cinema as a whole. This comes at a time when some streamers are facing criticism for removing Palestinian films from their platform entirely.
Watermelon+ comes on the heels of successful theatrical runs for the documentary “The Encampments” and the feature debut for Oscar nominee Farah Nabulsi, “The Teacher.” Nabulsi’s Oscar-nominated short “The Present” will also be available upon launch, while “The Encampments” streams later this summer. Dozens of acclaimed films including “From Ground Zero” (Palestine’s Official 2025 Academy Awards entry) will be showcased on the platform, as well as Oscar nominees “Omar” (2014 Best International Film), “Five Broken Cameras” (2013 Best Documentary Feature), and “Theeb” (2016 Best International Film).
Co-founded by CEOS and brothers Badie and Hamza Ali, Watermelon Pictures has set out to create a wider audience for Palestinian cinema, bringing forth gems that are difficult to find elsewhere.
Of this new initiative, Badie said in an official statement, “Curating these films to ensure they had a proper home was a mission we were honored to begin and it’s one we’re committed to carrying forward. This is just the beginning. Our vision is to grow Watermelon+ into a must-have platform for underserved communities everywhere, a true home for bold, necessary storytelling that deserves to be seen.”
Hamza added, “Watermelon+ isn’t just a platform for films — it’s a launchpad for the next generation of underserved artists whose stories will shape the future. It’s not only a preservation of our past; it’s fuel for our future.”
“The Encampments” was able to have a particular impact as its release coincided with the arrest and detainment of one of its subjects, Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leaders of the Columbia University protests depicted in the documentary. In his review for IndieWire, Siddhant Adlakha wrote of the film, “It ought to be no surprise that ‘The Encampments’ is a full-throated call to pro-Palestinian activism. What makes it artistically triumphant, however, is its sense of contemporary and historical detail, owed to both footage shot by the filmmakers, as well as by the protesters themselves.”
Supporters can watch and subscribe beginning today for $7.99 a month or $79.99 annually at watch.watermelonpictures.com/.
