Watermelon Pictures Joins Forces with ‘American Doctor’ to Share the Stories of U.S. Physicians Helping Gaza’s Wounded Children
Watermelon Pictures has secured the North American distribution rights for American Doctor, an award-winning documentary showcasing the efforts of three American physicians who volunteered to treat severely injured Palestinian children in Gaza.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Poh Si Teng, known for St. Louis Superman and Patrice: The Movie, the film recently garnered the Tom Rankin Audience Award at the Full Frame festival in Durham, North Carolina. It also received the Audience Award and the Michael Sullivan Frontline Award at Salem Film Fest in Massachusetts. Notably, it clinched the Amnesty International Award and the Peter Wintonick Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece. Additionally, American Doctor earned an honorable mention in the HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD category at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen.
Founded by brothers Badie and Hamza Ali, Watermelon Pictures received an Oscar nomination this year for The Voice of Hind Rajab. This film, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, tells the true story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in 2024. The physicians depicted in American Doctor risked their lives to perform emergency surgeries on children like Hind Rajab, who have suffered severe injuries due to military actions.
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L-R Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, director Poh Si Teng, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa at the Deadline Hollywood Portrait Studio during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026 in Park City, Utah.
The three doctors featured in the film—Palestinian American Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Jewish American Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Zoroastrian Dr. Feroze Sidhwa—have forged a friendship characterized by their shared dedication to saving lives. They have publicly condemned the destruction in Gaza, which escalated after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. According to UNICEF, over 50,000 Palestinian children have been killed or injured in Gaza since October 2023.
Filmed amidst active conflict, the documentary captures the physicians’ journey from a besieged Gazan hospital to the steps of Congress. They work tirelessly to honor their commitment to Palestinian colleagues and patients, aiming to continue the fight in the United States.
‘American Doctor’
“Poh Si Teng has created something truly powerful,” said Hamza Ali, co-founder of Watermelon Pictures. “American Doctor is a testament to her vision and courage as a filmmaker, and to the importance of the story she has chosen to tell. We are honored to partner with Poh and bring this extraordinary film to audiences across North America.”
Teng expressed her gratitude for the collaboration, stating, “It is an incredible honor to work with Hamza Ali and the entire team from Watermelon Pictures. They believed in our film while we were still making it, through such a daunting journey, and that belief carried us. It means the world to me and to everyone who gave so much to this film. Together, we are going to bring the message of American Doctor home.”
The acquisition deal was facilitated by Hamza Ali of Watermelon Pictures, alongside Poh Si Teng, producer Kirstine Barfod, and executive producer Simon Kilmurry. Domestic sales were managed by Cinetic Media, while Autlook Filmsales is overseeing international sales, including at Marché Du Film in Cannes.
American Doctor is produced by Tiny Boxer Films, with contributions from Poh Si Teng, Oscar nominee Kirstine Barfod (known for The Cave), and Reem Haddad. The documentary is edited by Christopher White and Oscar nominee Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Black Box Diaries, Instruments of a Beating Heart).
Co-producers for the film include Mohammed Sawwaf and Kasper Lykke Schultz, with executive producers Simon Kilmurry, Hamza Ali, Glennon Doyle, Rasha Mansouri, Hassan Elmasry, Poh Si Teng, Rami Elghandour, Andreas Dalsgaard, Mehdi Hasan, Juan Pablo Raymond, and Kiran Alvi. The original score is by Suad Bushnaq, with the song “Astral Light” composed and performed by Suvo Sur, featuring Poh Si Teng on vocals.
Teng shared, “American Doctor is like The Pitt. The difference is it’s real and it’s set in Gaza.”
Dr. Mark Perlmutter remarked on the physicians’ experiences in Gaza: “We’ve all been to multiple mass casualty events throughout the world. Feroze has been in Ukraine, we [Thaer and Perlmutter] have both been to Haiti. Our experience in Gaza was collectively far worse than all of those other experiences combined, even 9/11. We witnessed the largest pediatric homicide in our lifetimes, and that’s hard to get over. The sheer volume of the pediatric carnage that we saw is indescribable.”
The doctors have been vocal about raising awareness regarding the use of U.S. tax dollars in supporting Israeli military actions. According to the Watson School of International Affairs at Brown University, the U.S. has allocated over $21 billion in military aid to Israel since the October 7th attacks.
