“The Encampments,” a timely documentary produced by Macklemore, follows the story of the student encampments that formed at Columbia and other universities in response to the war in Gaza. The film opens with the origin of the camps, when students’ earnest attempts to organize divestment campaigns in their universities were met with increasingly hostile responses from campus officials. A stark contrast is painted between the students’ peaceful community-building and the brutal violence of state and campus repression directed against them. The film gives an intimate portrayal of life in the camps, as students of all backgrounds shared food, music, and a mutual understanding of the need to resist the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.
“The Encampments” also provides essential context for the student encampments, by interweaving footage from the now-honored university protest movements of the 1960s, along with chilling footage of the current atrocities occurring in Gaza. Featuring detained student activist Mahmoud Khalil, “The Encampments” shares a compelling look beyond the headlines and onto the frontlines of what became a worldwide campus uprising.
