More than 200 Israeli filmmakers issued a joint petition expressing solidarity with directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following public backlash and political threats over their documentary NAZA. The signatories, which include prominent Israeli directors Ari Folman, Shlomi Elkabetz, Ran Tal, and Michal Aviad, emphasized in their statement that the core responsibility of art and independent journalism is to serve as a mirror reflecting the realities of the society in which artists live.
The petition was organized in response to escalating hostility toward Abraham and Szor after NAZA received the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Following the festival accolade, Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar denounced the documentary as an act of treason and publicly announced his intention to seek the revocation of the filmmakers' Israeli citizenship. Legal experts noted that the culture minister lacks the statutory authority to revoke citizenship independently, as such a measure requires a formalized legal proceeding involving the interior ministry and judicial ruling.
Focus on Subterranean Systems and Mass Surveillance
Produced by British newspaper The Guardian alongside JW Films, NAZA is constructed around on-camera interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli military and intelligence personnel detailing surveillance networks, target selection protocols, and aerial bombardments in Gaza. The documentary derives its title from the Hebrew military abbreviation for collateral damage, referring to the calculated numerical estimation of civilian casualties projected prior to authorizing a strike.
The film outlines the military's deployment of artificial intelligence models and high-density surveillance programs to process intelligence and clear targets, alleging that strikes were regularly authorized despite forecasts of high civilian losses. Directors Abraham and Szor stressed that their investigation centers explicitly on institutional directives, structural logic, and operational norms rather than isolated infractions committed by individual service members.
IDF Rejection and Background of the Filmmakers
The Israeli Defense Forces categorically rejected the claims raised in the documentary, questioning the credibility of anonymous accounts from sources whose specific identities, ranks, and operational clearance could not be independently verified by military authorities. Military spokespersons also denied that automated artificial intelligence systems dictate target selection, maintaining that strike authorizations are conducted exclusively by human commanders operating under established legal and operational guidelines.
Prior to NAZA, directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor co-directed the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land in collaboration with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.
