Documentary 'Traces of Home' Sets September theatrical release with Melissa Barrera and John Leguizamo as executive producers

Colette Ghunim's debut documentary Traces of Home will open in US cinemas on 18 September at the Angelika Film Center in New York City, with a national rollout to follow through October (Deadline).

A preview screening two days earlier, on 16 September, will be followed by a Q&A with Ghunim and actor Melissa Barrera, one of the film's executive producers. Los Angeles gets the film on 25 September at the Laemmle Royal and Laemmle Glendale, before it expands to additional cities.

The film follows Ghunim as she travels with her parents to the homes they were forced to flee as children — one in Mexico, one in Palestine. Shot over five years, it weaves animation and archival footage into a personal story about displacement, identity and the meaning of home. Ghunim's father, Hosni Ghunim, appears on camera and is also one of three credited cinematographers.

Barrera, known for Abigail, two of the Scream films and In the Heights, described the documentary as "incredibly intimate and universal," saying it asks profound questions about identity, family, displacement and belonging. John Leguizamo serves alongside her as an executive producer. The pair were joined behind the scenes by Keith Wilson and Dena Takruri in the same role.

Ghunim called the finished film "a transformational portal toward deep reconciliation, both with my family and within myself." The documentary is produced by Sara Maamouri, Dan Rybicky and Capella Fahoome. Editors Maamouri, Loulwa Khoury and Laura Moya shaped the footage, and Omar Fadel composed the score.

Traces of Home carries strong festival credentials into its release. It had its world premiere at DOC NYC in November 2025, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the US Competition. It also earned Best Documentary Feature at the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

Chicago-based Watermelon Pictures, founded in 2024 by brothers Hamza Ali and Badie Ali and rooted in Palestinian culture and creativity, acquired North American distribution rights to the film ahead of its DOC NYC premiere (Variety). The company has been building a serious documentary slate: its productions include The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, which earned an Oscar nomination for Best International Film, and American Doctor, an expected awards contender that premiered at Sundance.

For a first-time director, the rollout is ambitious — a platform release starting in the two largest US markets, a festival prize on the poster, and name producers who can open doors to audiences beyond the usual documentary crowd. Whether that combination fills the Angelika's seats is a question the September grosses will answer.

Dates and venues are confirmed. The full city expansion in October has not yet been specified.