American Doctor: Brings the Stories of U.S. Physicians in Gaza to Columbus This Weekend

This weekend, Columbus audiences will have the opportunity to experience Gaza through the eyes of three American doctors who traveled there not as politicians or journalists, but as physicians trying to save lives.

American Doctor, the acclaimed new documentary from filmmaker Poh Si Teng, opens Friday, September 4, at Gateway Film Center in Columbus. The film was an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and follows three American physicians; Palestinian American emergency physician Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Jewish American orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Zoroastrian American trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa. 

The doctors volunteered inside Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals, treating patients and working alongside Palestinian medical professionals under extraordinary conditions. Dr. Sidhwa, for example, volunteered in Gaza in March–April 2024 and returned in March–April 2025. 

But American Doctor doesn’t end when the physicians leave Gaza.

The documentary follows them back to the United States as they attempt to turn what they witnessed into action, speaking publicly and taking their experiences all the way to the halls of Congress. Despite their very different religious and cultural backgrounds, the three doctors are connected by something more fundamental: their shared oath to save human life.  

The 91-minute documentary is the feature directorial debut of Teng, an Oscar-nominated producer and Emmy-winning executive producer whose previous work includes St. Louis Superman and Patrice: The Movie. 

Columbus has the opportunity to support this important film beginning this weekend. Showing up for this truly matters, particularly for independent documentaries whose ability to reach wider audiences depends on people choosing to see them in theaters.

Bring a friend, a colleague, a healthcare professional or even someone who may see the issue differently. Watch the doctors. Hear what they witnessed. And continue the conversation afterward.

American Doctor opens Friday, September 4 at Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High St., Columbus.