The propulsive rhythms of “The Encampments” would’ve been effective regardless of its release date. However, the student protest documentary’s theatrical bow — brought forward to March 28, just days after its Cph:dox festival premiere — injects its arrival with political urgency since one of its key subjects is Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist detained by Ice earlier this month.

At this point, a year-and-a-half removed from the events of October 7, 2023, any documentary on the subject is likely to speak to the sentiments and biases of its intended audience. So, it ought to be no surprise that “The Encampments” is a full-throated call to pro-Palestinian activism. What makes it artistically triumphant, however, is its sense of contemporary and historical detail, owed to both footage shot by the filmmakers, as well as by the protesters themselves. In the process, co-directors Kei Pritsker (of BreakThrough News) and Michael T. Workman (the short film “Meantime...