Nadav Lapid's Controversial Film 'Yes' Receives U.S. Release After Production Challenges

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid's fifth feature film, 'Yes,' is set for theatrical release in the United States beginning March 27 in New York and April 3 in Los Angeles, distributed by Kino Lorber. The film, a satirical exploration of Israeli artists' hedonistic responses to the October 7 attacks and subsequent violence in Gaza, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim but was notably excluded from competition. Lapid, known for previous works like 'Synonyms' and 'Ahed's Knee,' which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2021, faced significant production difficulties, including crew refusals, actor dropouts, and the need to hire a Serbian makeup artist due to lack of Israeli participation. The film stars Ariel Bronz, a Ukraine-born performance artist based in Tel Aviv, alongside Efrat Dor and Idit Teperson. Lapid, who has lived in Paris for several years, returned to Israel to shoot the film, describing Tel Aviv as vibrating with meaning during production. He emphasizes that 'Yes' is not specifically about October 7 and Gaza but rather examines the psychological landscape of perpetrators and complicit individuals in times of crisis. The film's distribution faced hurdles, with many American festivals declining to show it before Kino Lorber's acquisition. Lapid criticizes contemporary cinema for often serving as a tranquilizer rather than confronting reality, and he advocates for art that embraces paradox and contradiction. He is currently developing a script set in Paris about exile and expresses interest in directing a Western in Arizona.