American Doctor (in-person & online)

Documentary

This haunting film takes a stark and forceful look at on-the-ground efforts to save lives in Gaza by three American doctors and friends of different backgrounds: one Palestinian, one Jewish, one Zoroastrian.

Emergency physician Dr. Thaer Ahmad is measured and strategic; orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Mark Perlmutter is blunt and wears his heart on his sleeve; trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is media-savvy and pragmatic. Journalist and filmmaker Poh Si Teng’s cinema vérité documentary follows them from a Gazan hospital under siege, risking their own lives to treat patients in appalling conditions, to Washington, where they speak out about Israeli attacks on hospitals and advocate for ceasefire.

From the start, Si Teng sets out her stall: this is a film that seeks to expose the full realities of this devastating conflict, including the horrific killing and maiming of children. It’s also a film that wants you to think about which lives matter most and whose voices we hear most clearly – with the Jewish American Perlmutter the doctor who feels most able to accuse Israel of genocide and the United States of complicity, without fearing consequences, in tones that are angry, defiant and morally correct.

Content warnings: Contains scenes of violence, bombing, and death. For more information on what to expect, contact the ICO programming team at: programming@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk