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WHO KILLED ALEX ODEH?

( 2026 )
Feature Documentary Competition |
 
United States
 |
 English, Hebrew, Arabic |
 83 min

About the film

In 1985, Palestinian American activist Alex Odeh was killed by a bomb planted at his California office. Four decades later, no one has been brought to justice. Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans combine archival material, investigative journalism, and intimate family testimony to revisit the still-unsolved assassination, tracing suspected extremist connections while revealing a daughter and widow’s enduring struggle for answers, accountability, and justice.

Director

William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder

Jason Osder is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and professor whose debut feature, Let the Fire Burn (2013), premiered at Tribeca and won the Independent Spirit Truer Than Fiction Award. William Lafi Youmans is a Palestinian American scholar, media maker, and professor specializing in global media, Middle East politics, and Arab American studies. Who Killed Alex Odeh?, Youmans’ feature directorial debut, brings together their shared interests in history, media, politics, and social justic

Producer

Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen

Production Company

Screenplay

Cinematography

Lia Tarachansky

Editing

Tyler H. Walk, Anne Alvergue

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Helena Odeh

Contacts

International Sales: Dogwoof, United Kingdom, info@dogwoof.com

Producer

Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen

Production Company

Screenplay

Cinematography

Lia Tarachansky

Editing

Tyler H. Walk, Anne Alvergue

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Helena Odeh

Contacts

International Sales: Dogwoof, United Kingdom, info@dogwoof.com

More About Film

In October 1985, Santa Ana, California was shaken by a brazen act of political violence when a Palestinian American, Alex Odeh, a beloved teacher and community leader, was killed by a tripwire bomb planted in his office. Despite clear evidence and identified suspects, the case was never solved. Who Killed Alex Odeh? reopens the mystery, tracking a renewed investigation in real time as new leads emerge, long-buried records come to light, and the forces behind a political assassination are finally confronted.Unfolding like a detective thriller, the film weaves archival footage, firsthand testimony, and new reporting to expose the violent fundamentalist networks behind the attack and the institutional failures that protected them. As the investigation deepens, the story widens to reveal how the extremist ideology that fueled Odeh’s murder did not disappear – it evolved, gaining traction and legitimacy in the modern political landscape.Directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, a Jewish American and a Palestinian American, Who Killed Alex Odeh? is both a gripping cold-case pursuit and a timely examination of political violence, asking what it means when acts of terror go unresolved, and how justice denied continues to shape the world we live in.

Producer

Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen

Cinematography

Lia Tarachansky

Editing

Tyler H. Walk, Anne Alvergue

Sound

Rana Eid

Cast

Helena Odeh

Contact

International Sales: Dogwoof, United Kingdom, info@dogwoof.com

More About Film

In October 1985, Santa Ana, California was shaken by a brazen act of political violence when a Palestinian American, Alex Odeh, a beloved teacher and community leader, was killed by a tripwire bomb planted in his office. Despite clear evidence and identified suspects, the case was never solved. Who Killed Alex Odeh? reopens the mystery, tracking a renewed investigation in real time as new leads emerge, long-buried records come to light, and the forces behind a political assassination are finally confronted.Unfolding like a detective thriller, the film weaves archival footage, firsthand testimony, and new reporting to expose the violent fundamentalist networks behind the attack and the institutional failures that protected them. As the investigation deepens, the story widens to reveal how the extremist ideology that fueled Odeh’s murder did not disappear - it evolved, gaining traction and legitimacy in the modern political landscape.Directed by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans, a Jewish American and a Palestinian American, Who Killed Alex Odeh? is both a gripping cold-case pursuit and a timely examination of political violence, asking what it means when acts of terror go unresolved, and how justice denied continues to shape the world we live in.