Watermelon Pictures
Watermelon Pictures
Company typePrivate
IndustryFilm industry
Founded2024 (2024)
Area served
United States
Websitewatermelonpictures.com

Watermelon Pictures is an American film production and distribution company founded in 2024 by Badie and Hamza Ali. The company has distributed Israelism (2023), Life Is Beautiful (2023), From Ground Zero (2024), To a Land Unknown (2024), and The Encampments (2025).

History

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 showcase Palestinians and Arabs, who have been poorly represented and dehumanized in mainstream media.[4][5]

The company's first release Walled Off, a documentary focusing on The Walled Off Hotel, directed by Vin Arfuso, and executive produced by Roger Waters, Kweku Mandela and Anwar 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 nominees Omar, 5 Broken Cameras and Theeb".[7]

At the end of 2025, Alana Hadid left Watermelon Pictures but quickly joined as executive producer to Seeds for Liberation (2026), a film by award-winning director Matthew Solomon.[8]

Distributed films

Release dateTitleNotes
May 3, 2024Walled OffU.S. distribution[9]
June 7, 2024IsraelismNorth American distribution[10]
November 15, 2024Life Is BeautifulNorth American distribution[11]
January 3, 2025From Ground ZeroNorth American distribution[12]
March 28, 2025The EncampmentsProduction and distribution[7]
April 4, 2025The TeacherU.S. distribution[13]
July 11, 2025To a Land UnknownNorth American distribution[14][15]
August 8, 2025Sudan, Remember UsU.S. distribution[16]
August 15, 2025The GlassworkerU.S. distribution[17][18]
October 7, 2025Pistachio WarsWorldwide distribution[19]
November 20, 2025Shoot the PeopleWorldwide distribution[20]
November 28, 2025All That's Left of YouNorth American distribution[21]
December 17, 2025The Voice of Hind RajabProduction company[22][23]

Future releases

Release dateTitleNotes
February 6, 2026White Man WalkingNorth American distribution[24]
February 13, 2026Palestine 36North American distribution[25]
2026MāramaNorth American distribution[26]
2026The Six Billion Dollar ManNorth American distribution[27]
TBAThere Was, There Was NotU.S. digital distribution[28]
TBATraces of HomeNorth American distribution[29]

Licensed to Watermelon+

References

  1. ^Reiss 2025, p. 121.
  2. ^"Watermelon Pictures Launches, Alana Hadid Named Creative Director". PR Newswire. April 4, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  3. ^Bedirian, Razmig (July 10, 2024). "How Alana Hadid's Watermelon Pictures aims to 'dispel the propaganda' against Palestinians". The National. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  4. ^Issawi, Danya (June 11, 2024). "Alana Hadid Wants to Build the "Palestinian A24"". The Cut. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  5. ^"Alana Hadid on reclaiming the Palestinian narrative through art and film". TRT World. July 21, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  6. ^Wiseman, Andreas (April 4, 2024). "Alana Hadid Leading Film Label Watermelon Pictures, First Movie Is Palestine Documentary 'Walled Off'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  7. ^ abHorton, Adrian (14 May 2025). "'We need to do something': the company releasing Palestinian films no one else will". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. ^"Alana Hadid Joins Feature Doc 'Seeds For Liberation' As Executive Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  9. ^Wiseman, Andreas (April 4, 2024). "Alana Hadid Leading Film Label Watermelon Pictures, First Movie Is Palestine Documentary 'Walled Off'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  10. ^Ritman, Alex (May 10, 2024). "'Israelism' Documentary, About Jewish Attitudes Toward Israel, Lands U.S. Distributor (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  11. ^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. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  12. ^Goldsmith, Jill (October 7, 2024). "TIFF Gaza Anthology 'From Ground Zero' Acquired By Watermelon Pictures For North America". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  13. ^Vivarelli, Nick (February 3, 2025). "Timely Palestinian Drama 'The Teacher' Lands U.S. Distribution Deal Amid Fragile Ceasefire in Gaza (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  14. ^Hopewell, John (September 8, 2024). "Watermelon Takes Mahdi Fleifel's Cannes Directors' Fortnight Hit 'To a Land Unknown' for North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  15. ^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. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  16. ^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. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  17. ^Goodfellow, Melanie (May 15, 2025). "Watermelon Pictures Acquires U.S. Rights For Pakistani Animation 'The Glassworker'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  18. ^Alexa, L'Wren (August 6, 2025). "New Trailer Drops for Usman Riaz's 'The Glassworker'". Animation World Network. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  19. ^Roxborough, Scott (August 13, 2025). "Watermelon Pictures to Release Environmental Doc 'Pistachio Wars' Worldwide". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  20. ^Ritman, Alex (November 11, 2025). "Misan Harriman Doc 'Shoot the People' Bought by Watermelon Pictures for Worldwide Rights, Sets AFM Launch (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  21. ^Roxborough, Scott (2025-08-26). "Watermelon Pictures, Visibility Films Acquire Jordan Oscar Contender 'All That's Left of You' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  22. ^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. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  23. ^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. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  24. ^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. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  25. ^Wiseman, Andreas (January 12, 2026). "Annemarie Jacir's Oscar Shortlisted 'Palestine 36' Gets U.S. Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  26. ^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. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  27. ^Lang, Brent (November 10, 2025). "Julian Assange Documentary 'The Six Billion Dollar Man' Sells to Watermelon Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  28. ^Barraclough, Leo (August 13, 2025). "Armenian Documentary 'There Was, There Was Not' Acquired in U.S. by Suncatcher, Watermelon (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  29. ^De La Fuente, Anna Marie (November 12, 2025). "John Leguizamo, Melissa Barrera Board Watermelon Pictures Pick-up 'Traces of Home' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2025.

Works cited

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