American Doctor, a 93-minute documentary directed by Poh Si Teng and co-produced with Kirstine Barfod and Reem Haddad, premiered at the Sundance film festival and is currently in US theatrical release. The film presents an account of three physicians—Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American emergency doctor; Mark Perlmutter, a Jewish orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina; and Feroze Sidhwa, a Zoroastrian trauma surgeon based in California—as they volunteer in Gaza’s healthcare system and subsequently engage in advocacy efforts within Congress regarding continued American military support to Israel.
Teng, a Malaysian-American filmmaker with prior experience as a producer and commissioning editor at Al Jazeera English and creative director at ABC/Disney, initiated the project in fall 2024 following the onset of military operations in Gaza. She cited frustration with silence surrounding Gaza within professional and journalistic circles, prompting her to leave her employment to pursue the documentary. The filmmaker drew inspiration after witnessing Perlmutter speak directly to media audiences about political factors affecting ceasefire negotiations. Teng attended a subsequent event where Perlmutter delivered remarks as keynote speaker, describing the impact of his testimony on the audience.
The three doctors occupy distinct roles throughout the narrative. Perlmutter represents an emotionally direct perspective, while Ahmad functions as a measured, politically strategic voice who withdrew from a presidential meeting during Ramadan. Sidhwa serves as an analytical counterpoint, having initially expressed skepticism about documentary efficacy before participating. Sidhwa volunteered in Gaza during March-April 2024 and again in March-April 2025. His subsequent attempt to return in November 2025 was blocked by Israeli authorities, leading to involvement in legal proceedings challenging the systematic exclusion of healthcare workers.
The documentary presents depictions of destruction across Gaza’s infrastructure, psychological toll on civilian populations, and operational challenges faced by medical professionals in overwhelmed facilities. Sidhwa contextualizes the scale of damage by noting Gaza’s geographic size relative to other major urban centers and describing the extent of infrastructure destruction, including hospitals and civilian structures, alongside documented healthcare workforce casualties and displacement.
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