Key facts
- Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor face threats of citizenship revocation from Israel's culture minister.
- The documentary 'NAZA' includes interviews with Israeli soldiers detailing AI-powered targeting systems used in Gaza.
- The film is based on revelations published by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian.
- Israel's culture minister Miki Zohar accused the directors of "treason against the state" and harming their homeland.
- Film festival directors and industry figures have condemned the threats as an attack on artistic and journalistic freedom.
- Over 1,500 Israeli filmmakers signed a petition supporting Abraham and Szor, calling the rhetoric a threat to their lives.
Global film industry figures have expressed strong solidarity with Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, whose documentary 'NAZA' has drawn threats of citizenship revocation from Israel's culture minister. Miki Zohar accused the directors of "treason against the state" for their film, which details alleged Israeli military targeting systems used in Gaza and the resulting civilian deaths.
'NAZA', produced by The Guardian, won the special jury prize at the Venice film festival after a record 25-minute standing ovation. The film features interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel and builds on investigative reporting from +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian.
Festival directors from Venice, Telluride, Locarno, and San Sebastián have condemned Zohar's threats, emphasizing the importance of artistic and journalistic freedom. Telluride's Julie Huntsinger called the threats "unacceptable" and something that "should be condemned by any thinking human." The directors of the San Sebastián festival stated they "stand in solidarity" with the filmmakers and the Palestinian people, asserting that the film "exposes the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government."
In Israel, over 1,500 filmmakers signed a petition denouncing the "campaign of vilification and incitement" against Abraham and Szor, warning that the rhetoric was approaching "effectively sanctioning violence" and posed a physical threat. Signatories include prominent Israeli filmmakers such as Nadav Lapid and Hagai Levi.
Laura Poitras, an Oscar-winning director and consultant on 'NAZA', defended the film's factual basis, stating that its assertions are based on multiple sources and have been reported by The Guardian. She characterized the threats as "a threat to journalists worldwide."
Abraham and Szor previously won an Oscar in 2025 for their documentary 'No Other Land,' which focused on Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. Following that win, Abraham's family home was targeted by a rightwing mob.