Macklemore is producing a new doc on Columbia’s student Gaza protests

Four-time Grammy Award-winning rapper Macklemore is producing an upcoming documentary following the pro-Palestinian Columbia University student protests. Titled The Encampments, the film features appearances from now-detained student activist Mahmoud Khalil and is set to release next Friday (March 28).

The protests began on April 17, 2024, when around 50 students established an encampment on the Columbia University campus in protest of the university’s ties in Israel. From April 17 to June 1, the encampment endured constant run-ins with the New York Police Department, with a total of 238 protestors being arrested and 38 protestors injured. 

The incident marked the first time since the 1968 Vietnam War demonstrations that Columbia University had allowed police to suppress student protests. The encampment also sparked similar sit-in protests at universities across the US, and is survived by continuing activism on Columbia University grounds. 

Earlier this month, Columbia student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following President Trump’s announcement that he plans to crack down on pro-Palestine activists. Despite being a green card holder, Khalil is reportedly facing deportation. Khalil’s wife is currently eight months pregnant.

Macklemore, meanwhile, has consistently supported the student protest movement and the Palestinian cause more widely. In May, 2024, he released the track “Hind’s Hall”, a tribute to six-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab who was murdered by an Israeli airstrike. All proceeds from the track were reportedly donated to the UN’s Palestine relief agency, UNRWA.

In September, 2024, Macklemore was dropped from the Neon City Festival lineup in Las Vegas after exclaiming “fuck America!” at a pro-Palestine rally in Seattle. 

The Encampments premieres at Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival next March 25, followed by international distribution by Watermelon Pictures March 28.