Documentary filmmaker Wendy Sachs was inspired to create “October 8” after witnessing the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack and the subsequent surge of antisemitism on American college campuses. The film explores the alarming rise of antisemitism, documenting responses from various elite universities, where students faced hostility for their support of Israel. Sachs interviewed 80 individuals, including survivors and public figures like Debra Messing, revealing a coordinated effort to undermine the Jewish state. Despite challenges in production and distribution, Sachs aims for the film to serve as an educational tool against antisemitism, highlighting broader societal issues regarding extremism and democracy.
Documentary filmmaker Wendy Sachs was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with her daughter Lexi when she first heard about the Hamas terror attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
“The images emerging from Israel, with babies, children, young adults, and grandparents being slain. Their killings were livestreamed and posted on Facebook. The videos from Telegram depict young people at Nova Festival being taken as hostages into Gaza,” Sachs recounted to Fox News Digital.
However, when she witnessed the wave of antisemitism that erupted on college campuses nationwide in the days following, she realized she had to take action.
“On October 8, after seeing the protests in Times Square, I was deeply disturbed by what unfolded the following day at Harvard, where over 30 student groups issued a letter blaming Israel for the attack on itself. And then it spread across campuses, from Columbia to NYU, Tulane to MIT, Cornell, and Penn. It felt as if the world had completely lost its sense,” she shared. “The silence, the apathy, the denial.”
“By the end of October, I recognized the necessity to document what was taking place,” she continued. “That’s when I drafted a proposal for the film.”
The result was “October 8,” a documentary that explores the troubling increase in antisemitism directed at Jewish college students in America’s most prestigious universities, along with the sinister forces behind this trend.
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“October 8” investigates the rise of antisemitism affecting elite universities across the nation. (Christopher L. D’Alessandro)
Sachs, an author and filmmaker known for titles like “Surge” and “Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch their Careers,” conducted 80 interviews with survivors from October 7, college students, celebrities, and politicians for the documentary. Figures such as actress Debra Messing, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg attempt to unpack how many well-educated young people end up supporting Hamas.
What Sachs uncovered was a highly organized effort to undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state and create a stigma around its supporters worldwide.
One of the film’s most startling revelations featured senior “Hamas leaders in America” strategizing ways to infiltrate U.S. “media outlets, universities, and research institutions” and coordinate their language to present Hamas in a more favorable light to a progressive audience in America.
“We must approach Americans from a standpoint of rights and justice while being careful with our word choices,” an unidentified voice stated in the recording.
Organizations like the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have accused Israel of executing “apartheid” and “genocide” while minimizing or ignoring the heinous actions of Hamas on October 7, according to Sachs. She mentioned that the inaction from these organizations motivated her to create this film.
“In the weeks following October 7, there was a staggering silence from Hollywood, women’s rights organizations, and politicians I admire and respect, many of whom I have supported, including within my own professional women’s networks.
“The hypocrisy and double standards surrounding Israel, especially in light of the fact that Jewish women were violated, murdered, and mutilated, was just mind-boggling,” Sachs lamented.
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Jewish students have felt besieged since the anti-Israel protests began. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
The film brought to light several instances of antisemitism that have taken place on college campuses, such as mobs of anti-Israel activists targeting Jewish Cooper Union students who had to take refuge in a library, and UCLA anti-Israel demonstrators creating areas on campus that “Zionists” were prohibited from entering, as well as Jewish students at Cornell advised not to leave their dorms due to threats to their safety.
Former UC Santa Barbara student body president Tessa Veksler encountered severe harassment and nearly faced a recall from her position for her pro-Israel stance.
“I remember that during campus unrest, I had to take my final exams online as campus was not safe for me,” Veksler recounted in the film.
Sachs and other Jewish creators were horrified by the silence from Hollywood after the October 7 events. Messing shared her struggles to gather signers for a letter urging world leaders to assist in bringing the hostages home.
“I felt utterly let down by Hollywood,” Messing expressed in the documentary.
The aftermath at a warehouse in Kfar Chabad, Israel on Oct. 7 following a Hamas rocket attack on the anniversary of the initiation of war in Gaza. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Producing this documentary was a significant challenge for Sachs. She faced difficulties in securing distribution, and even after finding one, she had trouble getting “October 8” shown at major film festivals.
Sachs shared with Fox News Digital that festivals like SXSW and Berlinale refused to screen her film but accepted films focused on Palestinian issues.
“There’s a troubling trend within the independent film community,” she stated.
“This is much broader than just the Jewish community. It’s about much more than the state of Israel. This is a matter concerning all of us in America—it’s about the West facing Islamic jihadism and extremism in opposition to democracy. That’s the critical issue right now,” she concluded.
Sachs hopes that her film will serve as an educational resource for K-12 curricula to help combat antisemitism.
“October 8” will be in theaters on Friday, March 14.
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