Wikipedia

Guy Nattiv

Guy Nattiv (Hebrew: גיא נתיב; born May 24, 1973) is an Israeli film director, screenwriter and producer who lives and works in the United States. His film Skin won an Oscar for best short film at the 91st Academy Awards. As of May 2021, Nattiv and Moshe Mizrahi were the only Israeli directors to have won an Academy award.

Guy Nattiv
גיא נתיב‎
Nattiv at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023
Born (1973-05-24) May 24, 1973 (age 51)
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityIsraeli
Occupation(s)Film director
Screenwriter
Film producer
Years active2007-present
Known forWinning Academy Awards for Best Short Films in 2018
Notable workSkin (2018 short film)
Skin (2018 feature film)
Strangers (2007 Israeli film)
Mabul (film)
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
Children2

Early life and education

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Guy Nattiv was born on May 24, 1973.[1] His grandparents were Holocaust survivors.[2]

He graduated in 2012 from Camera Obscura film school in Tel Aviv, Israel.[3]

Career

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Early career

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Nattiv worked in advertising early in his career. He served as head copywriter and then chief creative director for the advertising agency Publicis Groupe for seven years.[4][5]

Filmmaking

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He began his career as a film director and screenwriter in 2002 directing his graduate short film at Camera Obscura film school in Tel-Aviv, The Flood, which won dozens of international film festivals around the world including the Crystal Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for best short film.[6] In 2003, he began collaborating with director Erez Tadmor. Together they directed the short film Strangers, starring Guy Loell and Sami Samir, about a Jew and an Arab who meet on a train and encounter a group of Neo Nazi skinheads.[7] The film won the 2003 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Short Film, and the Wolgin Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2003. Strangers also won more than 30 international film festivals and was shortlisted short for the Oscars.[8][9]

 
Daryle Lamont Jenkins and Guy Nattiv at the premiere of Skin during the 2019 Montclair Film Festival

Nattiv and Tadmor's second short film, Offside, starring Liron Levo and Ido Musari, won the short film award at the 2006 Manhattan Film Festival.[10] In 2008 Nattiv & Tadmor developed their short film Strangers into a feature of the same name. The film is led by Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal. Strangers has participated in dozens of international film festivals, including the official competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festivals and the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.[11] Strangers has been sold and distributed in more than 28 countries around the world. In addition, actress Lubna Azabel won the most Promising Actress Award at the 2008 Jerusalem Film Festival.[12]

In 2010, Nattiv wrote and directed his second feature Mabul aka The Flood which was nominated for 4 Israeli Ophir Awards. The film stars Ronit Alkabetz, Yoav Rotman, Tzachi Grad and Michael Moshonov, who also won the Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor.[13] Mabul won a Special Mention at the 2011 Berlin film Festival (Generation category), the Audience Award and Special Artistic Achievement in the 2011 Thessaloniki Film Festival and was Nominated at the 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Children's Feature Film.[14][15][16]

His third feature film Magic Men (In collaboration with Erez Tadmor) is a journey of a father and son in northern Greece, following a Greek magician who has disappeared. The film stars Kerem Khuri and Zohar Strauss, the script was written in collaboration with Sharon Maimon. Erez and Guy co-directed the film, produced by Shemi Sheinfeld and Amitan Menelson with the investment of the Rabinowitz Foundation and Channel 10.[17][18] The film received four nominations at the Ophir Israeli Awards, including Best Picture, Supporting Actor and original score and won Best Actor and the Israeli Critics circle. The film hit theaters in March 2014.[19]

Nattiv directed and wrote (in collaboration with Erez Tadmor) a 12-minute short film called Dear God starring Lior Ashkenazi and Raymond Amsalem, a poetic drama about the Western Wall guard, who follows a mysterious woman who comes to the Western Wall every day and at the end of each day, the guard reads the notes she writes and buries them in the Western Wall.[19] He decides to fulfill her secret wishes. The film was funded by the Film and Television "Makor Fund" and was nominated for an Ophir Israeli Award in the Best Short Film category. Dear God is the last collaboration of Nattiv and Tadmor. Tadmor and Nattiv pointed out that Dear God is actually part of a trilogy where it joins Offside and Strangers as the last of the trilogy of short films without dialogue that they directed together. It shows how "People connect in absurd and extreme situations without words, just humanity".[20][21][22]

 
Guy Nattiv at the premiere of Skin during the 2019 Montclair Film Festival

In 2018, Nattiv made his first American short Skin. He co-wrote the script with Sharon Maimon, based on Maimon's original idea. Skin was co-produced with Nattiv's wife and partner Jaime Ray Newman and stars Danielle McDonald, as well as Lonnie Chavis, Jonathan Tucker, Ashley Thomas and Jackson Robert Scott.[citation needed] Skin won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[23] The short is a 20-minute movie, that focuses on a hate crime and its impact on a skinhead and two young children, one black and one white. The film participated in more than 400 film festivals and won 31 awards including Saint Petersburg International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival and more.[citation needed]

In 2018, Nattiv's feature film Skin was released which he made with his wife Newman. It stars Vera Farmiga, Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Bill Camp, Louisa Krause, Mike Colter and Mary Stuart Masterson. Israeli producer Oren Moverman along with Trudie Styler, Sting's wife, signed on as producers of the movie. Skin, the feature was released on June 27 through DirecTV, before theaters on July 26 through A24. The film centers on the character Bryon Widner, a tattoo-covered skinhead, who decides to turn his back on the hate with which he was raised, going through a tremendously painful process to have every bit of offensive ink removed from his skin. This character was played by Jamie Bell. The feature-length version premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the Fipresci Prize,an award given by the International Federation of Film Critics. It was sold to more than 30 countries around the world, and participated at the Deauville Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter called Bell's performance "moving" and "powerful".[24] The feature is based on the life of Bryon Widner a Neo-Nazi skinhead who retired from the violent activity and later even became an FBI informant and was one of the prominent spokesmen against the hate groups. Widner was a vigorous and violent neo-Nazi activist, whose skin was full of hateful tattoos.[25][26][27]

Nattiv's next film Harmonia, a feature film based on the life of his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, who ended up as part of a women's cult in Virginia produced by Sight Unseen. The film is yet to be released as of June 2021.[28][29][30] Nattiv is also attached to direct Golda starring Helen Mirren. Michael Kuhn and Nicholas Martin are the producer of the film. Martin also wrote the screenplay. The plot of Golda focuses on the decisions made by Meir during the Yom Kippur War, when the combined forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan launched a surprise attack on Israel in 1973.[31][32][33]

As in January 2020, Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman together with Keshet Studios have been known developing A Stuntwoman, a limited series based on the book of the same name by Julie Ann Johnson and Deadline's David Robb. The series is about Johnson, a pioneer for women stunt performers and one of Hollywood's first whistle-blowers. It tells the story based on the real life incidents about Johnson who in the '70s became one of the first female stunt coordinators in Hollywood. Johnson battled Hollywood's 'glass ceiling'; she took on the stunt community's 'cocaine cowboys' and she fought against one of the most formidable film and television personalities of her time, Aaron Spelling.[34][35][36]

In 2021, Nattiv and Newman created Life Unexpected, a short documentary shot over 10 years in intimate, raw home footage that tells the story of the unforgiving roller coaster of bringing life into this world.[37] The short is a co-production between New Native Pictures, Katsina communication and Channel HOT. It premiered at the Lighthouse International film festival in June 2021.[38] Ouat Media has the world distribution rights for the documentary.[37][39]

In 2023 Nattiv teamed up with director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, from a screenplay by Nattiv and Elham Erfani and made the film TATAMI and its Asian premiere at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 25, 2023.[40] It was also screened in the 19th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2023. In February 2024, XYZ Films acquired US distribution rights to the film.[41] It stars Arienne Mandi, Ebrahimi, Jaime Ray Newman, Ash Goldeh and Sina Parvaneh. It had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023, receiving positive reviews from the critics and audience.[42] The film follows Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. This includes a possible encounter with an Israeli athlete, something that the Mullah regime prohibits. Midway through the competition, Leila and her coach receive repeated threats from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and drop out of the tournament. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila faces a difficult choice: feign injury and comply with the Iranian regime as Maryam implores her to do, or defy them both and fight on, for the gold.[43] With Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi as co-directors, the project marks the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker. It is produced by Adi Ezroni and Mandy Tagger Brockey, alongside Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman from New Native Pictures.[44][45] WestEnd Films acquired international rights in February 2023. Other production companies involved in the project include White Lodge Productions, Maven Pictures, Tale Runners and Sarke Studios.[46]

Nattiv's Harmonia has cast Naomi Watts, Vicky Krieps, Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young as Embankment Films, Range Media Partners and CAA Media Finance launch pre-sales ahead of Cannes. Inspired by a real-life events, the film is based on Nattiv’s grandmother and her involvement in an insidious cult.[47]

Nattiv lives and works in the US.[48]

Critical reception

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Variety called him "an undeniably gifted filmmaker" and the film Skin a "stunner".[49] Avner Shavit, a veteran film critic for Israeli news site Walla! told The Wrap "he'd never seen anything like it".[2]

Recognition and awards

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Nattiv's film Skin won an Oscar for best short film at the 91st Academy Awards. As of May 2021, Nattiv and Moshe Mizrahi were the only Israeli directors who have won an Academy award.[50][51] According to Gal Uchovsky, Nattiv's Oscar win is "a big deal", because it could open doors for other Israeli filmmakers with dreams of making it big in Hollywood.[2]

Nattiv has been an official member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2019.[52][53][54]

In 2019, he received the IFF Achievement in Film Award at the 33rd Israel Film Festival.[51]

In 2024, Nattiv was inducted as a new member of European Film Academy.[55]

Personal life

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In 2012, Nattiv married actress and producer Jaime Ray Newman.[56] In 2015 Nattiv moved to Los Angeles, California. The couple have two daughters together.[56][57][58] They started their production company in 2021 named New Native Pictures.[59][60]

Filmography

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Year Title Notes Director Writer Producer Awards Refs.
2002 Mabul (The Flood) Short film Yes Yes Yes Best Short Film at Berlin International Film Festival [29][6]
2003 Strangers Short film Yes Yes Yes BAFTA/LA Award for Excellence at Aspen Shortsfest, Viewers Award at Sundance Film Festival [8][7][9][61]
2006 Offside Short film Yes Yes Yes Prize of the Romanian National Office of Cinematography at Alter-Native International Short Film Festival [62][63][64]
2007 Strangers Film Yes Yes No Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at 2008 Sundance Film Festival [11]
2010 Mabul (The Flood) Film Yes Yes No Best film at The Haifa International Film Festival, honorary mention at 2011 Berlin Film Festival [65][13][66]
2014 Magic Men Film Yes Yes No Ophir Award for Best Actor [17][18]
2018 Skin Film Yes Yes Yes [67][68]
2018 Skin Short film Yes Yes Yes Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film [69][70]
2023 Golda Film Yes No No [71]
2023 Tatami Film Yes Yes Yes [72]
2023 Wild Summon Short film No No Yes [73]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Guy Nattiv". AlloCiné. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Hod, Itay (February 26, 2019). "Rare Oscar Win by Israeli Director Has Holy Land Kvelling". TheWrap. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "Skin". mjff.ru. Moscow Jewish Film Festival. 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  4. ^ "Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, 2019". Issuu. August 13, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "Maurice Levy et Gervais Pellissier d'Orange seront au DLD (18 septembre) en Israël". lemonde.co.il (in French). September 8, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Mabul | The Flood | Sintflut". berlinale.de. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Strangers [2003]". JFI.org. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Sundance Institute". September 17, 2017. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Simmons, Leslie (February 7, 2008). "Seems Sundance did have deals". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Catalogue 2011". Issuu. February 26, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Kit, Borys (December 15, 2008). "Goldman has Mossad men". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Lead Actors". Here Film. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Filmoption International Presents" (PDF).
  14. ^ Duvdevani, Shmulik (November 13, 2011). "Mabul wins 2 awards in Thessaloniki". Ynetnews. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Flood (Mabul)". Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "The Flood (Mabul)". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Farber, Stephen (January 18, 2014). "Magic Men: Palm Springs Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Magic Men". ajff.org. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Dear God". jfi.org. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "Dear God". nysephardifilmfestival.org. NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "AJFF Recommends". ajffrecommends.org. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Washington Jewish Film Festival | Dear God". Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Oscar Winners 2019: The Complete List". Variety. February 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  24. ^ Felperin, Leslie (September 11, 2018). "Skin: Film Review | TIFF 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Reformed skinhead removes tattoos". NBC News. November 1, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  26. ^ Dawn (July 24, 2019). "Skin Makeup Artist Stretches the Limits of Tattoo Design". Variety. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  27. ^ "Review: Skin never gets deeper than its white supremacist protagonists' tattoos". Los Angeles Times. July 25, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  28. ^ "Interview With Skin Director, Guy Nattiv". Next Best Picture. August 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  29. ^ a b "BONUS: Guy Nattiv — Extraordinary Storyteller Making the Impossible Happen (Skin, Strangers, The Flood, Dear God, Magic Men, Harmonia...) - That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse". Poddtoppen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "Neo-Nazi Seeks Redemption in Skin". Jewish Journal. May 1, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  31. ^ Orlando, Parfitt (April 6, 2021). "Helen Mirren to play Golda Meir in Guy Nattiv's Golda". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  32. ^ Barraclough, Leo (April 6, 2021). "Helen Mirren to Star as Israeli Leader Golda Meir in Guy Nattiv's Golda, Produced by Michael Kuhn". Variety. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  33. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 6, 2021). "Helen Mirren To Play Israel's Only Female Prime Minister Golda Meir In Movie Biopic". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  34. ^ "Oscar-winning Skin couple's new project: The Stuntwoman". From the Grapevine. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  35. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2020). "The Stuntwoman Limited Series About Trailblazer Julie Ann Johnson From Skin Duo In Works At Keshet Studios". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  36. ^ "The Stuntwoman in the Works at Keshet Studios With Guy Nattiv". keshetinternational.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Friends of the Festival: Life Unexpected, Dearly Beloved, and The Crossing". GoElevent.com. Lighthouse International Film Festival. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  38. ^ "Press". lighthousefilmfestival.org. Lighthouse International Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  39. ^ "2021 Lighthouse International Film Festival Preview". NewJerseyStage.com. May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  40. ^ Rosser2023-09-27T09:23:00+01:00, Michael. "Tokyo reveals 20 world premieres among 2023 competition titles". Screen. Retrieved May 10, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ Vlessing, Etan (February 17, 2024). "XYZ Films Nabs Iranian Drama 'Tatami' From 'Golda' Director Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  42. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (July 25, 2023). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  43. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (February 8, 2023). "'Holy Spider' Star Zar Amir Ebrahimi, 'Golda' Director Guy Nattiv Team on Iran-Defying Film 'Untitled Judo,' WestEnd to Launch Sales at EFM". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  44. ^ "Israeli director, Iranian actress team up on movie for the first time". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  45. ^ "First film co-directed by Iranian and Israeli spotlights Iranian human rights abuses". Israel National News. February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  46. ^ "FIRST LOOK AT KESHET STUDIOS' POLITICAL THRILLER JUDO DIRECTED BY GUY NATTIV & ZAR AMIR-EBRAHIMI". www.keshetinternational.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  47. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (May 8, 2024). "Guy Nattiv's 'Harmonia' Casts Naomi Watts, Vicky Krieps, Bella Ramsey and Odessa Young as Pre-Sales Launch Ahead of Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  48. ^ "Skin". Berlin International Film Festival. 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  49. ^ "The biggest moments from the Israeli Oscar winners' epic night". From the Grapevine. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  50. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 8, 2018). "Skin Director On His Connection To The Film's Story Of Redemption – Toronto Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  51. ^ a b Wheat, Lorraine (June 15, 2019). "Roger Corman, Avi Nir and Guy Nattiv Honored at Israel Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  52. ^ Hayden, Erik (July 1, 2019). "Academy Invites 842 New Members". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  53. ^ Feinberg, Scott (July 1, 2019). "Academy's Newly Invited Members Include Recent Oscar Winners, Overlooked Vets and Question Marks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  54. ^ "2004 Festival". jff.org.il. Jerusalem Film Festival. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  55. ^ "New members 2024". European Film Academy. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  56. ^ a b Schwartz, Paula (August 2, 2019). "Skin Writer-Director Guy Nattiv On Turning His Oscar-Winning Short Into a Feature". MovieMaker. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  57. ^ "Jamie Ray Newman Welcomes Daughter Months Early After Previous Miscarriages and Stillbirth". people.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  58. ^ "'General Hospital' star Jaime Ray Newman welcomes second daughter Mila after early birth and 80 days in hospital". meaww.com. December 24, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  59. ^ "What's next for Oscar-winning couple Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman?". From the Grapevine. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  60. ^ "GUY NATTIV :: Moscow International Film Festival". moscowfilmfestival.ru (in Russian). Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  61. ^ Britannica Book of the Year 2009. Encyclopaedia Britannica. March 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59339-232-1.
  62. ^ "Offside by Eraz Tadmor & Guy Nattiv | Short Film". www.filmsshort.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  63. ^ "Teatri di Vita". www.teatridivita.it. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  64. ^ "Teatri di Vita". www.teatridivita.it. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  65. ^ "Filmmakers with an Agenda". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. May 2, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  66. ^ Dekel, Ayelet (October 22, 2011). "Haifa International Film Festival 2011 – Awards | MidnightEast". Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  67. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 8, 2018). "Skin Director On His Connection To The Film's Story Of Redemption – Toronto Studio". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  68. ^ Feinberg, Scott (September 8, 2018). "Toronto: Jamie Bell Gives an Awards-Friendly Turn in Acquisition Title Skin". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  69. ^ "The 91st Academy Awards | 2019". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  70. ^ Heggeness, Greta (February 24, 2019). "The Academy Crowns Skin with Best Live Action Short Film". PureWow. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  71. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (April 6, 2021). "Helen Mirren To Play Israel's Only Female Prime Minister Golda Meir In Movie Biopic". Deadline. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  72. ^ Ritman, Alex (February 8, 2023). "Guy Nattiv, Zar Amir Ebrahimi to Become First Israeli, Iranian Duo to Co-Direct Feature With Political Thriller 'Untitled Judo'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  73. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 8, 2024). "Oscar-Shortlisted Animated Short 'Wild Summon' Adds Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Guy Nattiv & Jaime Ray Newman As EPs". Deadline. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
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