“The Encampments” could hardly be opening on a more timely date. The documentary, which chronicles the encampments at Columbia from the students’ perspective, will hit New York theaters three days after its premiere at Cph:dox, then expand to Los Angeles a week later. In the lead-up to the film’s international screening, two of its protagonists, both students at Columbia University, landed on the front pages of many newspapers: Mahmoud Khalil, arrested by Ice for protesting against the war in Gaza, and Grant Miner, who was expelled by Columbia for the same reason. The film was rushed into release for these reasons.

However, its timeliness is not the only reason to see “The Encampments.” It is also an urgent protest film that carries the same conviction and resolve of the students who organized these demonstrations last spring. Directors Michael T. Workman and Kei Pritsker start the film with news media...