Briarcliff Entertainment announced today that they have secured the U.S. distribution rights for the upcoming documentary OCTOBER H8TE, from director Wendy Sachs (Surge). The film, which examines the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, on social media, and in the streets of America in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, will have a theatrical and digital rollout in Q1.
OCTOBER H8TE has completed its Oscar®-qualifying run, and recently launched an awards campaign for Best Documentary Feature Film. The film will be released as October 8 in the U.S. and Canada.
The picture features many high-profile voices including actress Debra Messing, comedian Michael Rapaport, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, tech expert Scott Galloway, Congressman Ritchie Torres, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, author Noa Tishby and Mosab Yousef, the son of Hamas’ co-founder. Sachs, Inbal B. Lessner and Nimrod Erez have writing credits on the project.
Sachs and Messing are Executive Producers.
Tom Ortenberg, Founder and CEO of Briarcliff Entertainment stated, “Briarcliff Entertainment is proud to distribute this timely and essential documentary, directed by the talented Wendy Sachs. Through powerful storytelling and firsthand accounts, Wendy has brought to light the voices and experiences that demand to be heard.
At Briarcliff, we are committed to sharing stories that provoke thought, inspire dialogue, and stand against intolerance. This film is a vital call to action at a critical moment in history.”
“When I saw the rally in New York’s Times Square on October 8th celebrating Hamas, it felt like the world had lost its mind,” said Sachs. “I’ve done a lot of important work during my career that I believed was consequential at the time, but nothing feels as urgent, as existential, and as personal as making this film.”
“We are thrilled to have the world see this important film,” Messing added. “This is about exposing fundamentalism and extremism and the threats they pose to democracy and the West.”
Sachs co-directed and produced Surge, a feature documentary about the record number of first-time female candidates who ran in the historic 2018 midterm elections. The film was acquired by Showtime in 2020. She also served as producer on the CNN+ Original Series “Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech” and the MSNBC mini-series “My Generation.” In 2017, she was named to the “40 Over 40 Women to Watch” list by Forbes.com.
Briarcliff Entertainment has a storied history of producing politically relevant films, most recently releasing the Golden Globe®-nominated picture The Apprentice, which focuses on Donald Trump’s ascent to power, in theaters across the U.S.
They previously handled the domestic distribution of documentaries Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down from directors Julie Cohen & Betsy West, which premiered at SXSW in 2022, and Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9, which premiered at TIFF in 2018. They previously earned an Academy Award® for Tom McCarthy’s 2018 film Spotlight, under the production banner Open Road Films.
