Fauda and Checkout released in the US — Jerusalem Post
Two Israeli spy premieres were released in the United States this month: the fifth season of the series “Fauda” on Netflix and the independent film “Checkout.” As The Jerusalem Post reports, the projects are being released amid heightened attention to Israeli cultural content following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
“Checkout” is a black comedy by writer, director, and executive producer Jonathan Dekel. Its protagonist, Dov, is a New York native who moved to Israel and is preparing to retire from Mossad. On the day he checks out of a hotel, the service’s main target — a terrorist codenamed Gilgamesh — checks in. Dov is played by Josh Pais.
Checkout premiere in New York
On September 17, “Checkout” was screened at the Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village, New York; the screening was sold out. Production of the film lasted six years. It was filmed in Ukraine in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Dekel, after the start of Russia’s invasion, the film crew barely managed to remove the hard drive containing the film after the filming location was bombed. When editing had already been completed, Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023 occurred, and Dekel was called up for military service. He also said that finding a distributor became more difficult afterward and that, in his view, this problem is broader for Israeli filmmakers.
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New season of Fauda
The fifth season of “Fauda” appeared on Netflix on September 8. The series follows Israeli agents operating undercover in counterterrorism operations. The creators initially began working on a different storyline, but abandoned the previous scripts after Hamas’s attack. The new season directly addresses the consequences of the attack and the theme of revenge.
Creator, co-writer, and lead actor Lior Raz said he wanted to show the Israeli perspective on the events of October 7. According to him, previous seasons of “Fauda” ranked first in popularity in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, as well as second in Qatar. The Times reported that the fifth season has already become the most popular season of any show in the history of the Israeli network Yes.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted in March showed that 60% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Israel, while 37% view the country favorably.
