OCTOBER H8TE begins on October 7th but is largely about the aftermath of a day that has become the modern Kristallnacht. The film examines the explosion of antisemitism online, on college campuses and in the streets of the world.

It unpacks how we got here from the spread of misinformation, false narratives and lies and looks at what needs to be done moving forward. The film digs into how antisemitism has shape-shifted over time with its latest incarnation being anti-Zionism that has metastasized into an obsessive and almost irrational hate of Israel.

The film will also goes back in time to understand how a pro-Palestinian narrative of fighting the Jews as oppressors and colonizers crystallized on college campuses over the past 25 years, finding allies among “progressive,” intersectional organizations and within the construct of DEI.

It explores the root of the issues on campus and why social justice activists have aligned themselves with the anti-Israel movement. The film explains why language like “From the River to the Sea” and chants of “Globalize the Intifada” is deeply problematic and intrinsically antisemitic. It discusses the history of “Zionism is racism” and demonstrates how these slogans became a call to action for student activists. The documentary unpacks what led to the Congressional hearings and testimony from Harvard, MIT and Penn’s presidents, who refused to say that calls for genocide on their campuses violated codes of conduct. We will examine the backlash and aftermath including Liz Magill and Claudine Gay resigning.

The documentary also looks at the stunning silence, dismissal and even denial of the sexual assault and rape Hamas perpetrated on Israeli girls, women and men. From Hollywood to the #MeToo movement to the United Nations, the film examines hypocrisy and double standards and even the sense that as Israelis “they had it coming.”

We also look at what’s happening on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms that have become echo chambers of online hate pushing conspiracy theories and dangerous narratives about Jews and Israel.

And ultimately, the film answers the question of why the world should care. It’s not just about the Jews. As history shows, an increase in Jew hatred signals a decline in the foundation of society. When mobs are tearing down the American flag in Rockefeller Center, storming the White House gates, and blocking the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, it’s not just about the Jews or even Israel, it's about Western Civilization. It’s about the values of life over death. It’s about the vulnerability of truth, democracy, and a free society, which are all under attack.

Participants, Interviewees and experts

The first interviewee booked for the film was Congressman Ritchie Torres. Mr. Torres features prominently in the film and his interview inspired the film's tagline: The Fight for the Soul of America. Emmy Award-Winning actress Debra Messing (Will and Grace) delivers in her interview the film's closing statement - a message of hope and a call for unity and allyship. Other prominent interviewees include Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Facebook/Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, Mosab Hassan Yousef, Noa Tishby, Bari Weiss and Douglas Murray. Comedian and activist Michael Rapaport speaks about the silence of Hollywood.

Experts in their field contributing interviews include Scott Galloway, former Knesset member Einat Wilf, former Treasury Department terror financing expert Jonathan Schanzer, Middle East expert Asaf Romirowsky and Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. Rabbi David Wolpe describes the very first few hours and days after the attack as he saw it from his place at the epicenter of the anti-Israel demonstrations at Harvard.

Danielle Haas, editor of Human Rights Watch Global Report who resigned in protest from the organization over their silence about Hamas' atrocities challenges the morality of non-profit organizations.  Dr. Ruth Halperin-Keddari and activist Mandana Dayani expose the hypocrisy of UN Women in their silence and refusal to condemn Hamas' sexual violence against Israeli girls, women and men.

Students featured include Tessa Veksler, the student body president of UC Santa Barbara, Talia Dror, a Cornell student who testified before Congress, and Talia Khan, an MIT PhD student. Noa Fay, a Black, Native American and Jewish student at Barnard, shares how she was targeted on campus for being a ZIonist. Irit Lahav, an Israeli survivor of the massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz recounts the harrowing moments of the attack and what she did to stay alive. Shai Davidai,  an assistant professor at Columbia University talks about the hostile climate on campus.

Production and Distribution Schedule

Production began November 14th, 2023, filming at the March for Israel rally in Washington DC. Editing began the first week of February 2024 and the film premiered at CAA in Los Angeles on October 21, 2024.

The film is now competing for an Academy Award nomination while we are in discussions with Hollywood producers regarding a theatrical release of the film and a streaming deal. 

An impact campaign will take the film across the country to have critical conversations in the Black, Hispanic and Evangelical communities among others. We also plan to bring the film to colleges and high schools, accompanied by an educational toolkit to educate non-Jews about Israel and equip Jewish and other pro-Israel students with ways of dealing with the hostile environment on college campuses.

About the Director

Wendy Sachs is a documentary film director, Emmy-award winning network news television producer (NBC, CNN, FOX), writer, author and sought-after speaker on women’s issues. Wendy co-directed and produced, SURGE , a feature documentary, about the record number of first-time female candidates who ran, won and flipped their red districts to blue in the historic 2018 midterm elections. The film was acquired by Showtime in 2020. Wendy is also a former Capitol Hill press secretary, media relations executive and the author of two critically acclaimed books about women and careers, “Fearless and Free—How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch their Careers” and “How She Really Does It: Secrets of Successful Stay-at-Work Moms.” Wendy has appeared on dozens of radio segments, TV shows and podcasts, including MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and others.

Executive Producer

Debra Messing

An Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, and social justice & human rights advocate. She is best known for her Emmy & SAG Award-winning role as “Grace Adler” on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series “Will & Grace,” and starred in “The Mysteries of Laura,” and “SMASH,” both on NBC. Notable film credits include the award-winning “Searching,” “Along Came Polly,” “The Wedding Date” “Nothing Like The Holidays,” “The Women,” and “The Dark Divide.” Messing has been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Women In Film’s Lucy Award, The Gracie Allen Award, American Comedy Award, among 50 more nominations. Most recently, Messing filmed the Warner Brothers mob drama, “Wise Guys,” opposite Robert De Niro. Messing can be seen in Universal’s feature film, BROS, alongside Billy Eichner. Messing can also be seen in the feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical, “13,” from the producer of “Chicago,” which is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Editors

Inbal Lessner, ACE, is an Emmy-nominated and Eddie-nominated producer and editor, best known for Escaping Twin Flames (Netflix), Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (Starz), Brave Miss World (Netflix), Victim/Suspect (Netflix), I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, CNN's Decades series (The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, The Movies), The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (Netflix) and the award-winning dark comedy, Shock Act.

Nimrod Erez has had a 30 years long career as a TV and film editor. In the past 15 years he served as the in-house documentary film editor and co-producer at Moriah Films, the Academy Award winning documentary film production arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Producer - Samantha Ettus

In the wake of the October 7th massacre, best-selling author, speaker and TV contributor Samantha Ettus shifted her focus to fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel. Named one of 2021's 100 Women of impact by Entrepreneur Magazine, Sam had previously devoted her work to guiding women toward financial independence through a fintech company that she built over five years and recently sold. Sam earned both her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard. She cofounded the Los Angeles Women's Collective, aimed at supporting women in national political races. Sam serves on the advisory board of the Forbes School of Business, and Technology and Sparks and Honey.