American Doctor (Malaysia, Palestine, United States, Qatar, Denmark, 2026, 93’)

Italian subtitles

Wednesday 7 October, 6.30 p.m., Cinema Romano, Screen 1, Galleria Subalpina, Piazza Castello, 9

In collaboration with Ordine Medici Chirurghi e Odontoiatri della provincia di Torino.

On Wednesday 7 October at 6.30 p.m. at Cinema Romano, Job Film Days, in collaboration with Ordine Medici Chirurghi e Odontoiatri della provincia di Torino, presents American Doctor by Poh Si Teng. Through the experiences of three doctors of Palestinian, Jewish and Pakistani backgrounds, the film reflects on the meaning of care in wartime and the relationship between medicine and politics. From the wards of a Gaza hospital to the corridors of American political power, American Doctor shows how the medical profession can also become a means of bearing witness and, once back home, continuing to defend patients and colleagues.

Followed by a discussion with Manuela Crucitti (anaesthetist, Médecins Sans Frontières), Paolo Narcisi (anaesthetist, Rainbow for Africa) and Elena Giovannella (anaesthetist, Emergency), joining remotely. Moderated by Chiara Rivetti (Vice-President, Ordine dei Medici di Torino).

Admission: tickets required.

International Title: American Doctor
Original Title: American Doctor
Directed by: Poh Si Teng
Cinematography: Ibrahim Al-Otla, Chris Renteria
Editing: Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Christopher White
Music: Suad Bushnaq
Cast: Thaer Ahmad, Mark Perlmutter, Feroze Sidhwa
Production: Tiny Boxer Films, Alef Multimedia, Elk Film, Watermelon Pictures

The tragedy of Gaza and the Palestinian people as seen through the work of three American doctors: Thaer Ahmad is a thoughtful Palestinian-American doctor driven by the need to help those in need of medical care; Mark Perlmutter is a Jewish-American surgeon marked by his firsthand experience of the Israeli invasion of Gaza; Feroze Sidhwa is a Pakistani-American surgeon who moved there to treat the unending stream of patients. Between 2024 and 2025, the three doctors traveled to Gaza several times and used their cameras to document the daily suffering and their work in Khan Younis at one of the few hospitals in the Strip that had not been destroyed. Alternately, the film shows their efforts in the United States to continue the fight in a country complicit in genocide, thereby keeping the promise they made to their Gazan colleagues and patients.
“In the two years following October 2023, Israel, with the support of the United States, killed more than 1,700 healthcare workers in Gaza”, reads the caption at the end of the film.