Global film industry figures have rallied behind Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor after Israel’s culture minister threatened to revoke their citizenship and accused them of treason over their new documentary, NAZA,
which explores military artificial intelligence targeting systems used in Gaza.
Threats From Israel’s Culture Minister Over ‘NAZA’ Premiere
The controversy erupted following the premiere of the 80-minute documentary NAZA
at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation—a festival record—and won the special jury prize, according to reporting by The Guardian. The film is named after an acronym euphemistically used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate the expected civilian death toll in an airstrike on Gaza, and it features interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence soldiers and officers detailing AI-powered targeting systems.
Following the festival screening, Israel’s culture minister, Miki Zohar, sharply criticized the filmmakers on X. Zohar accused the directors of being willing to harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world,
and stated, I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state.
International Film Festival Leaders and Industry Heavyweights Push Back
As representatives for Venice and its jury, headed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, have not yet commented on the threats, artistic directors and festival heads from across the international film community quickly voiced their outrage and solidarity with Abraham and Szor.
Documentary film-makers are among the best long-form journalists working and critical to our understanding of the world. To even threaten their citizenship standing is unacceptable. This should be condemned by any thinking human.
Julie Huntsinger, artistic director of the Telluride film festival
Heads of the Locarno film festival similarly declared their support for the filmmakers’ right to explore difficult and urgent subjects without fear of reprisal. Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlin film festival, emphasized that in a democratic society, the response to provocative art must involve dialogue and scrutiny rather than intimidation or punishment by the state.
The documentary builds on investigative revelations published between 2023 and 2025 by the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, and The Guardian. Produced by The Guardian and James Wilson (JW Films) with executive producer Jonathan Glazer, NAZA
was acquired by French sales company MK2 Films ahead of its Venice debut and is slated to screen at the San Sebastián film festival and the New York film festival.
Domestic Petitions and Preceding Threats From Prior Wins
Inside Israel, the backlash has met with domestic pushback. More than 1,500 filmmakers have signed a petition supporting Abraham and Szor while refuting accusations that the directors sought to damage the country’s international image. Initiated by filmmaker Liran Atzmor, the petition’s signatories include Nadav Lapid, Orna Ben Dor, Netalie Braun, Rani Blair, Hagai Levi, Shai Carmeli-Pollak, and Shlomi Elkabetz, calling on supporters of artistic freedom to stand alongside the creators.
This pressure campaign follows previous hostility directed at the creators. Abraham and Szor previously won the 2025 documentary Oscar for No Other Land,
a film about Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank co-directed with Palestinian creators Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. After that victory, Abraham’s family home was targeted by a right-wing mob—an ordeal the director described as his worst moment, noting that his mother has been hoping the violence does not repeat itself.
With NAZA
continuing its international festival run amid mounting state threats, festival organizers and thousands of signatories remain divided over whether the explosive documentary represents essential journalism or treason against the state.
