Nadav Lapid had been developing this project prior to the events of October 7, including receiving an investment from the Israel Film Fund in May 2023. In the wake of October 7, Lapid reworked the story to present Israel in its freshest context.
Despite being positively received by numerous North American film critics, the film struggled to have a strong North American film festival presence during the 2025 Fall festival season. Nadav Lapid has heavily implied in interviews that the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival rejected the film, despite Lapid having a strong history with both festivals.
