Israeli Documentary 'NAZA' Faces Backlash and Support
WHO:
The Guardian - Miki Zohar, Israel’s culture minister, accused the directors of being willing to “harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world.”
NBC News World - Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, stated the military would “not allow IDF soldiers to be made targets through lies and blood libels” and would use “every tool at our disposal” against the film.
The Guardian - Jonathan Glazer, a prominent filmmaker, expressed solidarity with Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, stating that the threats against them should be condemned by any thinking human.
The Guardian - Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlin film festival, reiterated that artists must be free to critically examine the world and condemned the intimidation faced by Abraham and Szor.
The Guardian - Miki Zohar, Israel’s culture minister, stated he would act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, calling them “despicable creators for treason against the state.”
NBC News World - Yehuda Schlesinger, a Channel 14 journalist, suggested the directors should be “pursued” or “hunted” and prevented from returning to Israel.
The Guardian - Julie Huntsinger, artistic director of the Telluride film festival, stated, “Documentary film-makers are among the best long-form journalists working and critical to our understanding of the world.”
The Guardian - Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlin film festival, expressed support for Abraham and Szor, emphasizing that “artists must be free to critically examine the world.”
The Guardian - Signatories of the petition supporting Abraham and Szor include Liran Atzmor, Nadav Lapid, Orna Ben Dor, Netalie Braun, Rani Blair, Hagai Levi, Shai Carmeli-Pollak, and Shlomi Elkabetz.
The Guardian - Miki Zohar, Israel’s culture minister, threatened to revoke the citizenship of directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, accusing them of “treason against the state.”
NBC News World - Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, called the directors “a disgrace.”
NBC News World - Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, condemned the film as “intolerable.”
The Guardian - Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, Oscar-winning Israeli directors of the documentary NAZA.
The Guardian - Miki Zohar, Israel’s culture minister.
The Guardian - Julie Huntsinger, artistic director of the Telluride film festival.
The Guardian - Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlin film festival.
The Guardian - Laura Poitras, documentary filmmaker and consultant on NAZA.
The Guardian - Nan Goldin, US photographer and activist.
The Guardian - More than 1,500 Israeli filmmakers who signed a petition in support of Abraham and Szor.
WHAT:
NBC News World - A mural depicting Abraham and Szor with crosshairs, horns, swastikas, and the word “traitors” appeared in Ashdod, Israel, shared by far-right rapper Yoav Eliasi.
NBC News World - A rightwing activist with tens of thousands of followers called for protesters to target Abraham’s family and associates, stating: “We’ll show him ‘collateral damage’.”
The Guardian - NAZA will show at the Bologna film festival tonight, before its North American premiere at the New York film festival later this month.
NBC News World - The documentary NAZA won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival on a Saturday, after receiving a 25-minute standing ovation, a festival record.
NBC News World - A mural depicting Abraham and Szor with crosshairs, horns, swastikas, and the word “traitors” appeared in Ashdod, Israel, shared by far-right rapper Yoav Eliasi.
NBC News World - The Israeli military has opened a leak investigation related to the film and is seeking assistance from Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency.
The Guardian - NAZA is named for an acronym used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate expected civilian casualties in airstrikes on Gaza.
The Guardian - The documentary received a 25-minute standing ovation at the Venice film festival, setting a festival record.
NBC News World - The Israeli military has opened a leak investigation related to the film and is seeking assistance from Shin Bet.
NBC News World - The Israeli military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, stated the military would “not allow IDF soldiers to be made targets through lies and blood libels.”
NBC News World - A mural depicting Abraham and Szor with crosshairs and the word “traitors” appeared in Ashdod, Israel.
NBC News World - 43 local human rights organizations expressed support for Abraham and Szor, urging Israeli authorities to stop incitement and threats against them.
The Guardian - NAZA is a documentary that includes interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence soldiers and officers.
The Guardian - NAZA won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival and received a 25-minute standing ovation.
The Guardian - Israeli attacks in Gaza since 2023 have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000.
NBC News World - NAZA documents the purported systematic killing of civilians in Gaza.
WHERE:
The Guardian - The Venice film festival, San Sebastián film festival, Bologna film festival, New York film festival.
The Guardian - Gaza, Israel.
WHEN:
The Guardian - NAZA will screen at the San Sebastián film festival next week.
The Guardian - NAZA will have its North American premiere at the New York film festival later this month.
The Guardian - The documentary won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival on a Saturday.
WHY:
NBC News World - The petition signed by over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers warns that the rhetoric against Abraham and Szor is moving closer to “effectively sanctioning violence” against them, reflecting an unprecedented campaign of vilification and incitement.
NBC News World - The petition signed by over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers warns that the rhetoric against Abraham and Szor is moving closer to “effectively sanctioning violence” against them, reflecting an unprecedented campaign of vilification and incitement.
NBC News World - The petition signed by over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers warns that the rhetoric against Abraham and Szor is moving closer to “effectively sanctioning violence” against them.
NBC News World - The threats against the directors have been characterized as a campaign of vilification and incitement, with the petition warning that rhetoric is moving closer to “effectively sanctioning violence” against them.
The Guardian - Miki Zohar accused the directors of treason against the state for their film.
The Guardian - The film is said to expose the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government.
HOW:
NBC News World - Rightwing activists organized protests outside addresses linked to the directors and their colleagues, escalating threats against them, including calls for them to be “pursued” or “hunted.”
NBC News World - Rightwing activists organized protests outside addresses linked to the directors, escalating threats against them, including calls for them to be “pursued” or “hunted.”
NBC News World - Rightwing activists organized protests outside addresses linked to the directors, escalating threats against them, including calls for them to be “pursued” or “hunted.”
NBC News World - Rightwing activists have organized protests outside addresses linked to the directors, escalating threats against them, including calls for them to be “pursued” or “hunted.”
NBC News World - Rightwing activists organized protests outside addresses linked to the directors and their colleagues, escalating threats against them.
The Guardian - NAZA uses testimony from Israeli military insiders to document its claims.
The Guardian - The film builds on revelations published by various outlets between 2023 and 2025.
(UPDATED September 17, 2026 02:09 UTC)
Tensions are escalating in Israel as Miki Zohar, the culture minister, accused film directors of harming their homeland for global applause, while Eyal Zamir, the IDF's chief of staff, vowed to protect soldiers from being targeted by what he called lies and blood libels. A mural depicting the directors with offensive imagery has surfaced in Ashdod, and a rightwing activist has called for protests against their families, threatening them with violent rhetoric. A petition signed by over 1,500 filmmakers warns that this hostile environment is inching towards justifying violence, as rightwing activists organize protests and escalate threats against the directors and their associates.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 23:03 UTC)
Prominent filmmaker Jonathan Glazer has voiced his support for Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, emphasizing that the threats they face should be condemned by all thoughtful individuals. Meanwhile, the documentary NAZA, which recently won a special jury prize at the Venice film festival after receiving a record-breaking standing ovation, is set to screen at the Bologna film festival tonight before its North American premiere at the New York film festival later this month. A petition signed by over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers warns that the hostile rhetoric against Abraham and Szor is dangerously close to endorsing violence, amid escalating protests organized by rightwing activists outside locations associated with the directors.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 22:01 UTC)
In a significant move, Israel's culture minister, Miki Zohar, announced plans to revoke the citizenship of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, labeling them as “despicable creators for treason against the state.” This comes amid escalating tensions, as a mural depicting the directors with crosshairs and the word “traitors” appeared in Ashdod, while rightwing activists have organized protests demanding they be “pursued” or “hunted.” Additionally, over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers have signed a petition expressing concern that the growing rhetoric against Abraham and Szor is dangerously close to inciting violence.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 18:00 UTC)
In a significant development, the documentary titled NAZA, which refers to an acronym used by Israel’s intelligence service for anticipated civilian casualties in airstrikes on Gaza, received a remarkable 25-minute standing ovation at the Venice film festival, setting a new record. Amid escalating threats characterized as a campaign of vilification against the film's directors, rightwing activists have organized protests outside their addresses, with some calling for them to be “pursued” or “hunted.” The Israeli military has since opened a leak investigation related to the film and is seeking assistance from Shin Bet.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 17:02 UTC)
In a significant escalation, Israel's culture minister Miki Zohar has threatened to revoke the citizenship of directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, accusing them of treason, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned their film as intolerable. The situation intensified as rightwing activists organized protests outside the directors' homes, and a mural depicting them as traitors appeared in Ashdod, prompting 43 local human rights organizations to voice their support for Abraham and Szor. Meanwhile, the Israeli military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, stated that they would not allow IDF soldiers to be targeted through what he described as lies and blood libels.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 10:44 UTC)
The documentary "NAZA," directed by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has sparked significant controversy, with Israel's culture minister Miki Zohar accusing them of treason for exposing what the film describes as the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people. Featuring interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel, "NAZA" won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival, where it received a remarkable 25-minute standing ovation, and will screen at the San Sebastián film festival next week before its North American premiere at the New York film festival later this month. The film documents the harrowing impact of Israeli attacks in Gaza, which have resulted in the deaths of over 73,000 Palestinians and injuries to more than 174,000, and has garnered support from more than 1,500 Israeli filmmakers who signed a petition in favor of Abraham and Szor.