Movies of War

Mar 19, 2026 6:00am PT Yariv Mozer Doc ‘Blood Brothers,’ About Rival Iranian and Israeli Olympians, in the Works at Sipur Studios, Fox Entertainment Studios and Fulwell By Elsa Keslassy Plus Icon Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent @elsakeslassy Latest Piers Morgan Walks Out of Explosive Interview With HSTikkyTokky, Influencer Featured in Louis Theroux’s ‘Inside the Manosphere’: ‘I Think You’re a F—ing Idiot’ 2 hours ago ‘The Fabelmans’ Breakout Gabriel LaBelle to Star in Darkly Comic Thriller ‘Not Safe for Life’ (EXCLUSIVE) 21 hours ago Kristen Stewart to Preside Over Biarritz Nouvelles Vagues Festival in France 21 hours ago See All Sipur Sipur (“Bad Boy”), Fox Entertainment Studios and Bitachon365, a Fulwell Entertainment company (“The Kardashians”) are set to co-produce “Blood Brothers,” a new feature documentary from Emmy-winning filmmaker Yariv Mozer, the director of the Oct. 7 Nova music festival doc “We Will Dance Again.” Described as a gripping documentary, “Blood Brothers” tells the extraordinary story of Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei and Israeli rival Sagi Muki – both Olympic medalists and world champions — whose relationship unfolds against what the filmmakers describe as a climactic chapter of a 47-year war between their nations. Related Stories Inside the Oscars: Execs Explain In Memoriam Omissions, Playing Off 'KPop Demon Hunters' Winners and Bringing Back Conan O'Brien as Host Jessie Buckley Makes Oscars History as First Irish Best Actress Winner, Dedicates Win to the 'Beautiful Chaos of a Mother's Heart' Mollaei made global headlines after defying pressure from Iranian authorities to avoid competing against Israeli athletes, an act punishable by death under the regime of Iran’s Supreme Ayatollahs, ultimately risking everything to face Muki on the world stage.. Popular on Variety The project was developed by Mozer and executive produced by Steve Stark (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Wednesday”), alongside commissioning Israeli broadcaster Reshet 13. “‘Blood Brothers’ originated from an extraordinary friendship between two courageous athletes who dared to break through walls of fear, ideology and hatred in a reality where regimes and borders try to dictate who is an enemy and who is a friend,” said Sipur Studios CEO Emilio Schenker. “Especially now, as tensions between Israel, the U.S. and Iran reach a peak, the friendship between Saeid and Sagi reminds us of the power of an individual to stand bravely against a regime, even at the risk of his life, and his power to create light and hope amid chaos.” Mollaei said, “My birthplace, my personal story, the history of my country and the education I received all seemed to dictate a different destiny. I was expected to follow a certain path. Yet I chose to step out of line, because above all I am an athlete, a free man guided by deep human values, a man who could not accept a road imposed upon him.” “In judo we say that friendship is the purest of human feelings. Beyond sporting rivalry, Sagi and I are building something that many once believed impossible and that is more important than ever now amid what is currently happening,” Mollaei continued. Muki added, “We have formed a bond of true brotherhood — we value each other first as human beings, and only then as world champions. Today, as we lecture together on global stages, I am proud that ‘Blood Brothers’ will share our message of unity and acceptance.” “In a time of war,” Muki said, “our story shows that sports can bridge divides between communities and nations, and that the ultimate victory is not a medal, but the choice to embrace brotherhood and humanity.” “Blood Brothers” marks the latest collaboration between Sipur, Mozer and Stark, whose documentary work also includes “The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes.” The studio recently entered a first-look deal with Mozer for documentaries and his first scripted project. Jump to Comments Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look (EXCLUSIVE) JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...