Louis Theroux on Capturing Reality of Israeli Settlements in ‘The Settlers’: ‘I’d Never Seen Something Like This Unfold in the Open With No Shame’

Mar 18, 2026 7:28pm PT Louis Theroux on Capturing Reality of Israeli Settlements in ‘The Settlers’: ‘I’d Never Seen Something Like This Unfold in the Open With No Shame’ The British journalist and author took a break from promoting hit Netflix documentary 'Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere' to discuss his 2025 BBC doc about Israeli settlers in the West Bank at CPH:DOX By Rafa Sales Ross Plus Icon Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Latest Arte President Bruno Patino Issues Industry-Wide Alert: AI Has Now Pushed Us Into a ‘Relationship Economy,’ the Only Way Forward Is ‘Coalition’ 2 days ago ‘Hell’s Army’ Director on the Rise of Russian Mercenary Legion the Wagner Group, and a Warning for the U.S.: ‘This Darkness Is Coming Everywhere’ 4 days ago ‘Fast and Furious’ Meets ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ in Emil Langballe’s Disability Dramedy Doc ‘Petrolheads,’ With Verità Films Handling Sales 5 days ago See All In 2010, British journalist Louis Theroux went to Israel to interview ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers who believed it was their religious and political obligation to populate the West Bank for the BBC doc “Ultra Zionists.” Last year, over a decade and a half later, the broadcaster returned to the region to investigate how the Israeli settler movement has escalated following October 7th with “The Settlers.” Speaking at CPH:DOX following a sold-out screening of the documentary, the British author said he mostly remembers the “intensity” of being in the occupied region during wartime. Asked about what drew him to the subject, Theroux said the throughline in his work is “human weirdness” and the ways in which “human beings self-sabotage or behave in ways that maybe seem illogical, immoral or controversial.” Related Stories Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look