The Palestine Exception (2026)

Plot

In 2023 and 2024, a new wave of right-wing attacks on higher education emerged, resembling modern-day McCarthyism. As students nationwide rally against Israel's actions in Gaza, long-standing academic taboos surrounding criticism of Israel—the "Palestine exception"—begin to dissolve. This documentary captures the experiences of professors and students advocating for a ceasefire and urging divestment from companies associated with Israel, while facing backlash from administrators, the media, law enforcement, and political figures. Scholars from various fields articulate the significance of these protests and the growing connection many young people feel to the Palestinian cause, portraying college campuses as battlegrounds of both resistance and repression where individual and shared histories intertwine.