October 8 (film)

October 8 – The Fight for the Soul of America (October 8)^[3] is a 2025 documentary film directed by Wendy Sachs. Sachs and Debra Messing also served as executive producers.

October 8 covers the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses after the October 7 attacks.^[4][5] 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".^[6] 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, Deborah Lipstadt, Bari Weiss, and Mosab Yousef.^[4][7] It explores the organization Students for Justice in Palestine, and argues that SJP promoted anti-Zionism and antisemitism on campus.^[8] The film also covers the role of social media in allegedly stoking antisemitism among young people.^[9]

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.^[10]

Co-produced by Wendy Sachs and Debra Messing, October 8 was co-edited by Inbal Lessner and Nimrod Erez.^[11] 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'".^[12]

October 8 was theatrically released in the United States on March 14, 2025, through Briarcliff Entertainment. It became available for streaming on April 1, 2025. The film grossed $1.3 million at the U.S. box office.^[13] The documentary screened at the Miami Jewish Film Festival.^[14]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.^[15] Popcorn meter score from verified audience was 99%, with rating of 4.9/5.

Frank Avella of The Contending wrote, "in a social media driven world where we accept what pops up in our feed as gospel... October 8 stands as a testament to just how dangerous trusting that feed can be and how it can lead to disinformation that infects an entire generation. October 8 should be required viewing for all college and university students and everyone who ever posted or reposted anything about Gaza and the conflict."^[16] Elizabeth Weitzman of TheWrap also favorably reviewed the film, writing, "under ordinary circumstances, it might feel uncontroversial to make a film about the recent rise of antisemitism on college campuses" but "in this passionate and timely documentary" Sachs "[explores] how a culture war has unfolded across U.S. universities since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel."^[17]

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post praised the film's "often-moving first-person student testimony" and noted its claim that Hamas may be behind SJP, while lamenting its lack of criticism of the Israeli government and military.^[18] 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".^[6]

Christian Toto reviewed the film as "[chronicling] the antisemitism spike following the worst terror attack since 9/11." He praised Sachs for "[connecting] the harrowing dots, from Hamas hijacking the Left's talking points to the inscrutable silence of human rights groups" and wrote that the "current normal remains unacceptable, framed by cowardice from those claiming to protect marginalized groups." Toto concluded: "Sachs' ability to connect cultural threads over the decades is impressive. Her apolitical approach is shrewd and necessary. The messages within October 8 must reach as many people as possible. Politics shouldn't matter when it comes to renouncing hate."^[19]

The Times of Israel said the film looks closely at SJP but fails to discuss Qatar's influence, citing its own reporting claiming Qatar contributed as much as $4.7 billion to U.S. academic institutions between 2001 and 2021.^[8] In The Jerusalem Post, Greer Fay Cashman called the film Sachs's "crowning achievement".^[9] In 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.^[20]

In Haaretz, Judy Maltz criticized the film's black-and-white narrative and failure to mention of the thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza or the humanitarian crisis, as well as the lack of attention given to Jews who oppose the Israeli far-right's actions and rhetoric. Maltz wrote, "It may be true, as the film very much wants us to believe, that many of those taking to the streets of America are driven by antisemitism. But is also true that Israel does not have a great story to tell and that it is legitimate to criticize how it is prosecuting this war."^[21]

The film was denounced as Israeli propaganda by pro-Palestinian publications, which criticized it for conflating Zionism with Judaism.^[22] The left-wing magazine Current Affairs criticized the film for making virtually no mention of the Israeli-perpetrated Gaza genocide or of anti-Zionist Jewish groups or figures such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow.^[23] Mondoweiss raised similar complaints, criticizing the depiction of an attempted recall of UCSB student president Tessa Veksler as antisemitic and saying that recall campaigns are not discriminatory but a feature of democracy. Mondoweiss also accused the film of ignoring right-wing antisemitism by associating with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, which called Elon Musk's salute controversy, interpreted by many as a Nazi salute, "an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm".^[24]

Sharon Farber's score was nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award.^[25][26]

• 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
• Blind Spot (2024 film)
• Reactions to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
• Students for Justice in Palestine
• The Encampments
• Tragic Awakening
• Universities and antisemitism

• Official website
• October 8 at IMDb