EXCLUSIVE: It’s been more than 40 years since Palestinian American Alex Odeh was assassinated in his office in Orange County, CA, the victim of a tripwire bomb. No one has ever been charged with his killing, despite an ongoing FBI terrorism investigation into the crime. But that doesn’t mean the identity of the perpetrators isn’t known.
The new documentary Who Killed Alex Odeh? argues the assassins got away to Israel and that U.S. State Department officials discouraged American law enforcement agents from pursuing them, for political reasons. The film points a finger of responsibility for the bombing at members of the Jewish Defense League, a radical right-wing group based in the U.S., Canada, and France, who allegedly wanted to silence Odeh because of his advocacy for Palestinian civil rights.
The documentary directed by Jason Osder (who is Jewish American) and William Lafi Youmans (who is Palestinian American) won two awards at Sundance, including a Special Grand Jury Prize for Journalistic Excellence. Watermelon Pictures will open the film theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on October 30, followed by a nationwide rollout.
Watch on Deadline
We have your exclusive first look at the film in the new trailer above.
Courtesy of Watermelon Pictures
Who Killed Alex Odeh? reopens the mystery around the death of the father of three, “tracking a renewed investigation in real time as new leads emerge, long buried records come to light, and the forces beyond a political assassination are finally confronted.”
In a directors’ statement, the filmmakers note that Youmans grew up with the story of Odeh’s killing, which was a frequent topic of conversation in the Arab American community in the U.S. “[Alex] was celebrated as a martyr while the failure of the ongoing investigation was evidence of government discrimination,” the directors write. “Sometimes his murder was brought up as a warning against being politically involved.”
Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images
Their statement continues, “Co-director Jason Osder is a Jewish American. The Odeh case became a reason for him to learn about the Middle East. His early discussions with Youmans were rich in a way that speaks to the power of the American experiment, creative collaboration, and storytelling. Osder came to learn about Jewish extremism for the first time through this film. Osder visited Israel and the occupied West Bank and came to understand his heritage with a new sense of privilege and responsibility.
“This emerging awareness is, in effect, the same experience Youmans and Osder hope to deliver to audiences through a film that blends observational, investigative, and archival modes of filmmaking.”
The FBI to this day offers a reward of up to $1 million “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for these crimes.”
“The FBI has never given up and will continue to investigate new leads on this case until it is solved,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said last year, the 40th anniversary of Odeh’s assassination.
Who Killed Alex Odeh? is directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans and produced by Osder, Youmans, Daniel J. Chalfen, Dawne Langford, Hassan Elmasry, and Rasha Mansouri Elmasry. Executive producers include Badie Ali, Hamza Ali, Hassan Elmasry, Rasha Mansouri Elmasry, Jim Butterworth, and Diane Shammas.
Cinematography is by Lia Tarachansky; Anne Alvergue and Tyler H. Walk edited the film. Music is by Jonathan Finegold.
Watch the trailer for Who Killed Alex Odeh? above.
