‘Soldiers Pay’ to Hit Theaters

Hollywood director David O. Russell’s 35-minute Iraq documentary “Soldiers Pay” has found a home.

It was originally made to accompany a DVD and limited theatrical re-release of Russell’s “Three Kings,” but was orphaned when Warner Bros. balked over its political content. The film will join Robert Greenwald’s “Uncovered: The War on Iraq” in selected theaters, independent distributor Cinema Libre Studio said Tuesday.

After Warner Bros. opted not to include Russell’s interviews with Iraqi extras in “Three Kings” about their experience since the first U.S. war with Iraq and how the current war had affected them, the director began looking for other options.

“Soldiers Pay” will open at one theater Thursday -- the Roxie in San Francisco -- and at the Oaks theater in Berkeley and other theaters scattered around the country Friday. As of Tuesday, a Los Angeles engagement was “in the works,” a Cinema Libre spokeswoman said.