Filmmakers Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen have joined the documentary Crows Are White as executive producers through their Square Peg banner, marking the company's first foray into documentary film. The move coincides with the announcement of a US theatrical release for the feature, the debut of director Ahsen Nadeem, giving the previously festival-only title a wider audience push.

The film, which follows Nadeem's attempt to document one of Japan's most secretive Buddhist monasteries, opens on 26 August at New York's IFC Center and on 4 September at Laemmle in Los Angeles before expanding nationwide. At its heart is Ryushin, a monk who favours heavy metal and ice cream over meditation and who kept his identity private until completing his monastic training; since launching his @desire.monk Instagram account in February, he has amassed more than 30 million views, prompting the team to bypass traditional distribution. Having premiered at SXSW and played festivals including Hot Docs and London, the film is produced by Memory and was also produced and financed by Argent Pictures, the company behind titles such as Hacksaw Ridge.