Who Killed Alex Odeh?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Jason Osder
- William Lafi Youmans
- Dawne Langford
- William Lafi Youmans
- Jason Osder
- Daniel J. Chalfen
- Tyler H. Walk
- Anne Alvergue
| Who Killed Alex Odeh? | |
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| Music by | Dana Kaproff |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
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Who Killed Alex Odeh? is a 2026 American documentary film directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans. It investigates the 1985 assassination of Palestinian-American activist Alex Odeh.
The film premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence. It had its international premiere out of competition of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17.
The film documents the assassination of Alex Odeh, a Palestinian-American activist, teacher, and poet who was killed by a tripwire bomb in his office in Santa Ana, California, in October 1985. The directors use archival footage and contemporary investigation to trace the 40-year inquiry into the case. They identify extremist forces potentially behind the attack and examine the lack of accountability that followed.[1]
Production
The film is co-directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans. Osder is known for the archival documentary Let the Fire Burn (2013). Youmans is a scholar of journalism and an associate professor at George Washington University.[1]
The project began development more than a decade prior to its release. In 2014, the directors received a grant from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program to investigate the circumstances of Odeh's death.[2] In 2023, Osder and Youmans were awarded the Alex Odeh Award by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) for their work on the film.[3]
The film is produced by Dawne Langford and Daniel J. Chalfen of Naked Edge Films, alongside the directors. It features music by composer Dana Kaproff.
