American film company
Watermelon Pictures is an Americanfilm production anddistribution company founded in 2024 by Badie and Hamza Ali. The company has distributedIsraelism (2023),Life Is Beautiful (2023),From Ground Zero (2024),To a Land Unknown (2024), andThe Encampments (2025).
MPI Media Group , an independent distribution company, was founded by the brothers Malik Ali and Waleed Ali. Malik's sons Badie and Hamza Ali[ 1] launched Watermelon Pictures, a company specializing in film production, financing, and distribution, with Alana Hadid set to serve as creative director, in April 2024.[ 2] [ 3] The mission of the company is to showcasePalestinians andArabs , who have been poorly represented and dehumanized in mainstream media.[ 4] [ 5]
The company's first releaseWalled Off , a documentary focusing onThe Walled Off Hotel , directed by Vin Arfuso, and executive produced byRoger Waters , Kweku Mandela andAnwar Hadid was released on May 3, 2024.[ 6]
Watermelon Pictures has launched in May 2025 a streaming service, Watermelon+, "that will serve as a home for its upcoming releases as well as several decades’ worth of Palestinian cinema," with the rights to 70 films "including Oscar nomineesOmar ,5 Broken Cameras andTheeb ".[ 7]
At the end of 2025, Alana Hadid left Watermelon Pictures but quickly joined as executive producer toSeeds for Liberation (2026), a film by award-winning director Matthew Solomon.[ 8]
Release date Title Notes May 3, 2024 Walled Off U.S. distribution[ 9] June 7, 2024 Israelism North American distribution[ 10] November 15, 2024 Life Is Beautiful North American distribution[ 11] January 3, 2025 From Ground Zero North American distribution[ 12] March 28, 2025 The Encampments Production and distribution[ 7] April 4, 2025 The Teacher U.S. distribution[ 13] July 11, 2025 To a Land Unknown North American distribution[ 14] [ 15] August 8, 2025 Sudan, Remember Us U.S. distribution[ 16] August 15, 2025 The Glassworker U.S. distribution[ 17] [ 18] October 7, 2025 Pistachio Wars Worldwide distribution[ 19] November 20, 2025 Shoot the People Worldwide distribution[ 20] November 28, 2025 All That's Left of You North American distribution[ 21] December 17, 2025 The Voice of Hind Rajab Production company[ 22] [ 23]
Release date Title Notes February 6, 2026 White Man Walking North American distribution[ 24] February 13, 2026 Palestine 36 North American distribution[ 25] 2026 Mārama North American distribution[ 26] 2026 The Six Billion Dollar Man North American distribution[ 27] TBA There Was, There Was Not U.S. digital distribution[ 28] TBA Traces of Home North American distribution[ 29]
Licensed to Watermelon+[ edit ] ^ Reiss 2025 , p. 121.^ "Watermelon Pictures Launches, Alana Hadid Named Creative Director" .PR Newswire . April 4, 2024. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 .^ Bedirian, Razmig (July 10, 2024)."How Alana Hadid's Watermelon Pictures aims to 'dispel the propaganda' against Palestinians" .The National . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 . ^ Issawi, Danya (June 11, 2024)."Alana Hadid Wants to Build the "Palestinian A24" " .The Cut . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 . ^ "Alana Hadid on reclaiming the Palestinian narrative through art and film" .TRT World . July 21, 2024. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 .^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 4, 2024)."Alana Hadid Leading Film Label Watermelon Pictures, First Movie Is Palestine Documentary 'Walled Off' " .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 . ^a b Horton, Adrian (14 May 2025)." 'We need to do something': the company releasing Palestinian films no one else will" .The Guardian . Retrieved16 May 2025 . ^ "Alana Hadid Joins Feature Doc 'Seeds For Liberation' As Executive Producer" .IMDb . Retrieved2026-01-23 .^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 4, 2024)."Alana Hadid Leading Film Label Watermelon Pictures, First Movie Is Palestine Documentary 'Walled Off' " .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2025 . ^ Ritman, Alex (May 10, 2024)." 'Israelism' Documentary, About Jewish Attitudes Toward Israel, Lands U.S. Distributor (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (May 19, 2024)."Alana Hadid's Watermelon Pictures Takes North America For Gaza Director Mohamed Jabaly's Doc 'Life Is Beautiful' " .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Goldsmith, Jill (October 7, 2024)."TIFF Gaza Anthology 'From Ground Zero' Acquired By Watermelon Pictures For North America" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Vivarelli, Nick (February 3, 2025)."Timely Palestinian Drama 'The Teacher' Lands U.S. Distribution Deal Amid Fragile Ceasefire in Gaza (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Hopewell, John (September 8, 2024)."Watermelon Takes Mahdi Fleifel's Cannes Directors' Fortnight Hit 'To a Land Unknown' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Goldsmith, Jill (July 11, 2025)."Immigrants And Influencers: Evocative Cannes' Premieres 'To A Land Unknown' & 'Wild Diamond' Debut In Limited Release – Specialty Preview" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (July 17, 2025)." 'Sudan, Remember Us' Trailer: Watermelon Pictures Sets August Release For Doc Paying Tribute To Youthful Pro-Democracy Activism" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 10, 2025 . ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (May 15, 2025)."Watermelon Pictures Acquires U.S. Rights For Pakistani Animation 'The Glassworker' " .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Alexa, L'Wren (August 6, 2025)."New Trailer Drops for Usman Riaz's 'The Glassworker' " .Animation World Network . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Roxborough, Scott (August 13, 2025)."Watermelon Pictures to Release Environmental Doc 'Pistachio Wars' Worldwide" .The Hollywood Reporter . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Ritman, Alex (November 11, 2025)."Misan Harriman Doc 'Shoot the People' Bought by Watermelon Pictures for Worldwide Rights, Sets AFM Launch (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Roxborough, Scott (2025-08-26)."Watermelon Pictures, Visibility Films Acquire Jordan Oscar Contender 'All That's Left of You' (Exclusive)" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved2025-08-31 . ^ Lodge, Guy (September 3, 2025)." 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' Review: A Young Girl's Death in Gaza Is Heard From an Agonizing Distance in a Crushing Docudrama" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 28, 2025)." 'The Voice Of Hind Rajab', Which Received Record 23-Minute Standing Ovation At Venice, Lands December Release In U.S." Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ Ntim, Zac (January 8, 2026)."Watermelon Pictures Acquires North American Rights To Feature Doc 'White Man Walking' About A Man Who Marched 1,500 Miles With A Black Lives Matter Shirt" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedJanuary 8, 2026 . ^ Wiseman, Andreas (January 12, 2026)."Annemarie Jacir's Oscar Shortlisted 'Palestine 36' Gets U.S. Release Date" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedJanuary 12, 2026 . ^ Wiseman, Andreas (September 3, 2025)."Dark Sky Films Teams With Watermelon Pictures For North America Release Of TIFF Movie 'Mārama' With Ariāna Osborne & Toby Stephens" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedNovember 10, 2025 . ^ Lang, Brent (November 10, 2025)."Julian Assange Documentary 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' Sells to Watermelon Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 10, 2025 . ^ Barraclough, Leo (August 13, 2025)."Armenian Documentary 'There Was, There Was Not' Acquired in U.S. by Suncatcher, Watermelon (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 11, 2025 . ^ De La Fuente, Anna Marie (November 12, 2025)."John Leguizamo, Melissa Barrera Board Watermelon Pictures Pick-up 'Traces of Home' (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . RetrievedNovember 12, 2025 .
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