Yes, it’s true: IndieWire can exclusively report that Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights to Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s Cannes premiere “Yes,” billed by the distributor as a “biting satire set and filmed in Israel in the aftermath of October 7.” The film, which was viewed by many as being the most provocative and “dangerous” (Lapid’s own words, but with plenty of asterisks) at this year’s festival, was viewed by many as a tough sell.
Enter: Kino Lorber, as the independent distributor has not only picked up the film, but is planning a theatrical release in early 2026, followed by a digital, educational, and home video release. The film marks Lapid and Kino Lorber’s fourth collaboration, following the releases of “The Kindergarten Teacher,” Berlinale Golden Bear winner “Synonyms,” and Cannes Jury Prize winner “Ahed’s Knee.”
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Written and directed by Lapid, the film made its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and was an official selection at the Karlovy Vary, Munich, and Jerusalem film festivals. The film stars Ariel Bronz, Efrat Dor, Naama Preis, and Alexey Serebryakov.
As David Ehrlich wrote in his very positive review of the film from Cannes, the film “is a veritable orgy of self-loathing surrender that reaffirms Lapid as the world’s most visceral director on a shot-by-shot basis. In a movie that unfolds like an Ecstasy-addled cross between Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ‘Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom‘ and the Jim Carrey comedy ‘Yes Man,’ Lapid doubles down on the frenzied violence of his filmmaking at the same time as he fully embraces his growing appetite for submission.”
Per today’s announcement from Kino Lorber, the film unfolds in “the days following October 7, [as] Y., a jazz musician, and his wife Yasmine, a dancer, resolve to say yes to everything. Y. and Yasmine sell their bodies and souls to the highest bidder, surrendering themselves and their art to Israel’s social, political and military elite. Soon, Y. is entrusted with a mission of the utmost importance: to compose the music for a rousing, ruthless new national anthem. Feverishly whirling between moments of satire, sincerity, and complete submission, ‘Yes’ is a visceral, blistering indictment of modern Israel, and an essential addition to post-October 7 cinema.”
At the festival, Lapid spoke at length with IndieWire, including about the film’s out of competition placement and his expectations for where it might end up. “I am saying what my press agent told me to say when I am asked why the film is not in the competition,” Lapid told IndieWire’s Ryan Lattanzio on the Croisette beach at Cannes a day before “Yes” premiered. “More or less, everyone asks this question. What she told me to say is, ‘Maybe it’s a question that should be addressed to the people who selected the film, and not to you.’”
Lapid, who said he is not good at being “diplomatic,” added, “Then, she told me to say that I should say, ‘I don’t know. Maybe the film was too disturbing. Maybe someone was afraid.’ What I can say is that the film, during its whole [production], and also when it ended, became — unwillingly — a kind of tool which measures cowardice and courage, to distinguish between the cowardly ones and the courageous ones.”
A France-Israel co-production, the film has been criticized and denounced by the Netanyahu government, with the Ministry of Culture accusing it in an interview of “opening the wounds of Israeli society” and officials condemning Lapid and demanding the film’s removal from the 2025 Jerusalem Film Festival. And yet, “Yes” was recently nominated for seven Ophir Awards — the Israeli equivalent of the Oscars — including Best Actor (Ariel Bronz), Best Supporting Actress (Naama Preis), Best Director (Nadav Lapid), and Best Picture. As a Best Picture nominee, “Yes” is one of five films shortlisted to be the Israeli entry to the 98th Academy Awards.
“Nadav Lapid has delivered an exhilarating, dizzying work of cinematic art that draws and quarters all emotions around one of the greatest political and human tragedies of our time,” said Kino Lorber Chairman and CEO Richard Lorber in an official statement. “Here, he puts his own febrile psyche and masterful skills on the front lines of a conflict that tears at his own soul with no rational refuge. We couldn’t be prouder to work once again with Nadav to share a truly unique filmic experience with North American audiences who have come to expect no less from him — far more than almost any other filmmaker today grappling with rage, and the guilt of resignation.”
Added Lapid, “‘Yes’ is the most difficult and demanding film I have ever made. I am thankful for Kino Lorber’s enthusiasm and for their courage, and I am anxiously anticipating the North American release. I believe the introduction of this film to North American audiences can be, now more than ever, powerful and meaningful. ‘Yes’ is a film about the capacity to say ‘no’ to power — a resistant film about submission.”
The deal for “Yes” was negotiated by Kino Lorber VP of Acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer and Alice Lesort for Films du Losange. “Yes” is a Les Films du Bal, Chi-Fou-Mi Prods. production in co-production with Bustan Films, AMP Filmworks, Komplizen Film, Arte France Cinéma, ZDF/Arte, Trésor Films in association with 240 Films, Cinemage 18 Developpement, ALBI Film and Television Fund. The film is produced by Judith Lou Lévy, Hugo Sélignac, and Antoine Lafon.
