#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER AND RELEASE DATE FOR “AMERICAN DOCTOR”

THEATRICAL RELEASE BEGINS
AUGUST 14, 2026
Exclusively at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto
Followed by VIFF Cinema August 28, 2026

“Director Poh Si Teng’s unflinching new exposé, American Doctor, is first and foremost a humanitarian story — one in which medicine and moral decency take precedence over partisanship.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“It is a necessary watch because it dares its audience not to look away, forcing the question not only of whose story is told, but whose deaths matter and make headlines.” – Variety

“It is a compelling, necessary piece of cinema that demands we find our humanity before the hourglass runs out.” – Next Best Picture

Image courtesy of Game Theory Films/Watermelon Pictures
Selected Official Selections and Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2026 – *World Premiere
CPH: DOX 2026
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival 2026 *Audience Award Winner
DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2026
Chicago Palestine Film Festival 2026
Sydney Film Festival 2026 – *GIO Audience Award – Best International Documentary
Sheffield DocFest 2026
Biografilm Festival 2026- *Audience Award – Biografilm Contemporary Lives
Doc Edge (Auckland, New Zealand) 2026
DOC NYC Selects: Summer 2026
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2026

Synopsis:

From Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Poh Si Teng, American Doctor follows three American physicians—Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian—united by a single oath to save lives. After volunteering in besieged hospitals in Gaza, they return home determined to fight for the patients and colleagues they left behind, taking their battle from the frontlines of war to the halls of Congress.

Directed by: Poh Si Teng (Patrice: The Movie, St. Louis Superman, Flirting with the Islamic State)

Doctors spotlighted:

Dr. Thaer Ahmad
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
Editors: Christopher White, Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Directors of Photography: Ibrahim Al Otla, Chris Renteria
Cinematographer: Arthur Nazaryan, Poh Si Teng, Ramzy Haddad
Original Music: Suad Bushnaq

Producers:

Poh Si Teng
Kirstine Barfod
Reem Haddad
Executive Producers:

Simon Kilmurry
Hamza Ali
Rasha Mansouri
Hassan Elmasry
Poh Si Teng
Glennon Doyle
Rami Elghandour
Ghazi Shami
Jismi Johari
Marina Mahathir
Badie Ali
Andreas Dalsgaard
Mehdi Hasan
Juan Pablo Raymond
Kiran Alvi
Countries: USA, Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark
Runtime: 93 minutes
Language: English

Game Theory Films (Canada) in partnership with Watermelon Pictures (U.S.) will release AMERICAN DOCTOR beginning August 14, 2026.

ABOUT GAME THEORY FILMS
Game Theory Films is a boutique feature film distribution company based in Toronto, Ontario, established in 2018. Game Theory is committed to the strategic release of narrative and documentary theatrical feature films within the Canadian marketplace. Our catalogue includes award winning titles like Riceboy Sleeps, In Flames and Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. With a small passionate staff, we offer a personal touch, and are available to our partners throughout the life of their films from development through release. Upcoming releases include Couture starring Angelia Jolie, and SXSW charmer The Snake.

ABOUT WATERMELON PICTURES
Watermelon Pictures is a film production and distribution company dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented filmmakers worldwide through bold, culturally urgent storytelling. Founded in 2024 and celebrating its two-year anniversary, the studio has produced and/or distributed a slate of acclaimed films including From Ground Zero, Palestine 36, and All That’s Left of You, each shortlisted for the Academy Award® for Best International Feature, as well as the Academy Award®–nominated The Voice Of Hind Rajab. In May 2025, co-founders Badie Ali and Hamza Ali launched Watermelon+, a streaming platform presenting the most comprehensive archive of Palestinian cinema ever assembled. Across production, distribution, and curation, Watermelon Pictures champions visionary work that challenges dominant narratives, expands cultural visibility, and affirms storytelling as a powerful force for collective change.

CONNECT
AMERICAN DOCTOR:
Instagram @americandoctorfilm
americandoctor.com

GAME THEORY FILMS:
Instagram @gametheoryfilms
Facebook Game Theory Films
gametheoryfilms.com

WATERMELON PICTURES:
Instagram @watermelonpictures
Facebook Watermelon Pictures
watermelonpictures.com