American Doctor
| American Doctor | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Poh Si Teng |
| Produced by |
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| Edited by |
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| Music by | Suad Bushnaq |
Production company | Tiny Boxer Films |
| Distributed by | Watermelon Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 93 minutes[2] |
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American Doctor is a 2026 documentary film directed by Poh Si Teng. The film follows three American physicians of diverse backgrounds who travel to Gaza to provide medical aid during the conflict.
It premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 14, 2026, by Watermelon Pictures.
Premise
The film follows three American physicians of different backgrounds. Dr. Mark Perlmutter is a Jewish American orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina; Dr. Thaer Ahmad is a Palestinian American emergency physician from Chicago; and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa is a trauma surgeon from California of Pakistani Parsi heritage.[3] The three doctors operated primarily out of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis during two visits to Gaza, before and after the 2025 ceasefire.[4]
In an opening scene, Perlmutter demands that Teng show an unblurred photograph of babies killed in a missile strike, arguing that blurring the images would obscure the reality of events.[4] The film documents the doctors' work in operating rooms and hospital corridors, their media appearances upon returning to the United States, and the death threats some received as a result of their public advocacy.[5] The film also documents the particular difficulty Ahmad faced gaining entry to Gaza due to his Palestinian heritage, despite holding the same American credentials as his colleagues.[6]
Production
Poh Si Teng is a Malaysia-born, New York-based journalist and filmmaker. She previously worked as a documentary commissioner for Al Jazeera English, a grants director at the International Documentary Association, and a journalist for the New York Times and ABC News. She produced St. Louis Superman and Patrice: The Movie.[7]
Teng described her decision to make the film as personal desperation. "A year into the genocide, I didn't have any more words. I was very angry. And then came despair," she said at CPH:DOX in March 2026.[8] She quit her job as a creative executive at ABC and spent approximately $150,000 of her personal savings to begin production, later raising nearly $200,000 in donations during fundraising trips to Malaysia.[7] Production ran from December 2024 to December 2025.[7] This film marks her feature directorial debut.[9]
The film's two Gaza-based cinematographers, Ibrahim Al Otla and Christopher Renteria, filmed embedded with the doctors while themselves facing food shortages and the threat of bombardment. They uploaded footage daily via a balcony at Nasser Hospital that was later destroyed in an Israeli strike that killed 22 people including journalists and medical workers.[10]
The production team includes producers Kirstine Barfod (known for The Cave) and Reem Haddad, with executive producers Simon Kilmurry and Hamza Ali. The film features music by composer Suad Bushnaq.[1]
Release
American Doctor had its world premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026.[11] It also screened at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival,[12][13] Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, True/False Film Festival,[14] CPH:DOX,[15][7] and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, where it won the Audience Award.[16] In April 2026, Watermelon Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[17] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 14, 2026.[18]
Reception
Variety called the film's thesis "sharpest when depicting Perlmutter," praising Teng for revealing "the inherent inequality in whose stories get told, and who's allowed to be angry, indignant and morally correct."[6] RogerEbert.com found it "a formidable debut, an unflinching view of a story we've heard about but might not fully understand," noting minor first-film issues including occasional intrusive music.[19] Collider gave the film a 9/10, naming it as "one of the most important documentaries to come out of Sundance."[4]
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on streaming platforms worldwide to distribute the film, naming its subjects as "three heroic Americans" who show "the reality of Israel's genocide in Gaza."[20]
References
- 1 2 "2026 Sundance Film Festival Program: American Doctor". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "American Doctor [14A]". Alberta Film Classification Office. July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Elfadl, Murtada (January 26, 2026). "'American Doctor' Review: A Visceral Account of the War in Gaza Told Through the Eyes of Emergency Doctors". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Lacson, Therese (February 1, 2026). "'American Doctor' Review: Genocide Is a Disease That Must Be Fixed in This Vital Documentary". Collider. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ↑ Carey, Matthew (January 26, 2026). "Physicians Of 'American Doctor' On Witnessing Mass Death Of Children In Gaza: "The Largest Pediatric Homicide In Our Lifetimes" – Sundance Studio". Deadline. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- 1 2 Elfadl, Murtada (January 26, 2026). "'American Doctor' Review: A Visceral Account of the War in Gaza Told Through the Eyes of Emergency Doctors". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Kemp, Stuart. "'American Doctor' director Poh Si Teng explains why she spent her life savings on making the Gaza doc". Screen. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ↑ Szalai, Georg (March 17, 2026). "Poh Si Teng Talks Emptying Her Bank Account to Direct 'American Doctor': "A Year Into the Gaza Genocide, I Didn't Have Any More Words"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ↑ Mullen, Pat (December 10, 2025). "Sundance Announces Documentaries for 2026 Festival". POV Magazine. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ Smith, Rebecca (March 5, 2026). "True/False Conversations: Uncovering what it means to be an 'American Doctor' in Gaza". KBIA. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Sundance Film Festival unveils final Park City line-up". Screen Daily. December 10, 2025. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ "American Doctor". South by Southwest. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 4, 2026). "SXSW Adds 'The Comeback' Season 3 Premiere, Red Hot Chili Peppers Documentary, Movies From The Apatow Family & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Carey, Matthew (February 2, 2026). "True/False Film Fest Announces Lineup Stacked With World Premieres, Sundance Prize Winners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ "American Doctor". CPH:DOX. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Pat Mullen, "American Doctor, Nekai Walks Lead Hot Docs Audience Award Winners". Point of View, May 4, 2026.
- ↑ Carey, Matthew (April 23, 2026). "Watermelon Pictures Acquires 'American Doctor,' Powerful Account Of U.S. Physicians Who Rushed To Aid Gaza's Wounded Children". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Carey, Matthew (July 9, 2026). "'American Doctor' Unveils Trailer, Sets Theatrical Release Date; Award-Winning Film Follows U.S. Physicians Who Treated Children Badly Wounded In Gaza". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- ↑ Castillo, Monica (1 February 2026). "Sundance 2026: American Doctor, American Pachuco, Barbara Forever". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "CAIR Calls for Wide Distribution of Gaza Genocide Documentary 'American Doctor'". January 27, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
