Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters joins Palestinian art documentary
What's the story
Roger Waters, the co-founder of the iconic rock band Pink Floyd, has joined as an executive producer for a new documentary titled Freedom Theatre. The film is directed by Rishi Pelham and follows the story of Ahmed Tobasi, a resistance fighter turned artist who strives to keep his theater alive in Palestine's Jenin refugee camp. The documentary is currently in post-production after five years of filming, per Variety.
Film's focus
Pelham on why he made the documentary
Pelham, who also co-composed the documentary's original score with contributions from Palestinian artists like techno DJ and producer Sama' Abdulhadi, spoke about his inspiration for the film.
He said, "I didn't intentionally set out to make this film... What drew me in was the tension between two worlds: the black-box rehearsal room, sealed and controllable, and the camp outside, alive, volatile, and impossible to contain."
Production team
Production house behind 'Freedom Theatre'
The documentary is being produced by Suzanne Harb in partnership with Pelham under Bathtub Films, a London-based company.
The production house was behind Pelham's award-winning 2019 drama Hilda, which was executive produced by Tim Roth.
Freedom Theatre also has executive partners Khaled Habayeb and Alaa Alasad from Amman-based Tabi360.
They are known for their work on Zain Duraie's family drama Sink and Ameer Fakher Eldin's 2025 Berlin competition title Yunan.
Activism
Waters adds high-profile activist clout to the project
Waters's involvement in Freedom Theatre adds a high-profile activist and advocate for Palestinian liberation to the project.
He is one of the many artists who recently signed an open letter urging the Venice Film Festival "to take concrete action in support of Palestine."
The film team plans to release the documentary on the festival circuit and will be attending Venice for meetings with potential partners.