In Venice, a documentary made by two Israeli filmmakers about the calculated killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza received a standing ovation lasting twenty-five minutes — a record — before their own government moved to strip them of citizenship and accused them of treason. The film, NAZA, named for a military acronym denoting expected civilian deaths in airstrikes, is now set for theatrical release across fifty-six countries, with free streaming to follow. It is a moment that asks an ancient question in a contemporary register: what obligations does a citizen owe to truth when truth impli
Award-winning Gaza documentary NAZA set for global theatrical and digital release
The documentary examines Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with the military acronym NAZA used to indicate expected civilian casualties in airstrikes.
The threats will not stop the film.
Mark
So this is a documentary about how Israel calculates civilian deaths in Gaza. What exactly does NAZA mean?
Mimi
It's a military acronym. Israeli intelligence uses it to indicate the expected number of civilians that will be killed in a particular airstrike. The filmmakers are using the term itself to frame what the film is examining—the systems, the calculations, the planning.
Luke
And we know this from the filmmakers' own reporting, or from the interviews in the film?
Mimi
The reporting comes from three years of Guardian journalism, plus +972 Magazine and Local Call. The film itself features twenty-four interviews with Israeli intelligence and military personnel, all anonymous.
Mark
Why would those people agree to be interviewed?
Mimi
That's not explained in the reporting. We know they were granted anonymity, but the source material doesn't say what motivated them to speak.
Luke
Right. So we have the filmmakers' framing of what the film shows, but we don't have independent verification of what those twenty-four people actually said or whether their accounts are representative.
Mimi
That's fair. What we do know is that the film premiered at Venice to a record standing ovation and won the special jury prize. That suggests the film itself is compelling and well-made.
Mark
And then Netanyahu called for revoking their citizenship?
Mimi
Yes. Within days of the Venice premiere, Netanyahu and senior military and far-right figures accused them of treason and said he'd push for new laws to strip citizenship from people who "smear" Israeli soldiers or "defame" the state.
Luke
Those are his words, or the filmmakers' characterization of his words?
Mimi
Those are quoted directly from Netanyahu's statements, as reported by The Guardian.
Mark
And the protests outside Szor's parents' home—how many people showed up?
Luke
The reporting doesn't say. It says "dozens of rightwing activists gathered," but no specific number is given. One protester called for the death penalty for traitors. We don't know if that was representative or an outlier.
Mimi
What we do know is that police and border police were deployed, which suggests the authorities took the gathering seriously enough to station officers there.
Mark
So the filmmakers are facing real legal and physical risk.
Mimi
Yes. But they've also received substantial support—fifteen hundred Israeli filmmakers signed a petition, forty-three human rights organizations issued a joint statement, and major international filmmakers have spoken out.
Luke
That's important context. The story isn't just about threats; it's also about institutional and artistic solidarity forming in response.
O Pulso
- A documentary exposing how Israel calculates and accepts civilian deaths in Gaza won Venice's special jury prize and a record-breaking standing ovation — then immediately became a political crisis for its makers.
- Israel's prime minister called for the filmmakers' citizenship to be revoked and announced plans for legislation that would allow the state to strip nationality from those who 'smear' Israeli soldiers, while protesters gathered outside a director's family home demanding the death penalty for traitors.
- Despite the threats, the film is expanding into fifty-six territories through a partnership with MK2 Films, opening in New York before rolling out across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and potentially the occupied Palestinian territories.
- Over fifteen hundred Israeli filmmakers and forty-three human rights organizations have rallied behind the directors, joined by international voices including Ken Loach, Laura Poitras, and Joshua Oppenheimer, who called the government's response a full-scale intimidation campaign.
- The film will stream free on The Guardian's website in late November, transforming a festival prize into a global reckoning over whether citizens can hold their own states accountable without losing the right to belong to them.
In Venice, a documentary made by two Israeli filmmakers about the calculated killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza received a standing ovation lasting twenty-five minutes — a record — before their own government moved to strip them of citizenship and accused them of treason. The film, NAZA, named for a military acronym denoting expected civilian deaths in airstrikes, is now set for theatrical release across fifty-six countries, with free streaming to follow. It is a moment that asks an ancient question in a contemporary register: what obligations does a citizen owe to truth when truth implicates the state that claims them?
On a September night in Venice, a documentary about how Israel calculates civilian deaths in Gaza received a standing ovation that lasted twenty-five minutes — a festival record. The film, NAZA, was made by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by The Guardian. It won the special jury prize. Within days, the Israeli prime minister called for the directors' citizenship to be revoked, accused them of treason, and announced plans for legislation allowing the state to strip nationality from those who "smear" Israeli soldiers. Rightwing activists gathered outside Szor's parents' home. One protester demanded the death penalty for traitors.
NAZA draws on three years of Guardian journalism conducted with +972 Magazine and Local Call. Its title is a military acronym used by Israeli intelligence to indicate how many civilians are expected to die in a given airstrike. Abraham and Szor filmed on Tel Aviv rooftops at night and interviewed twenty-four members of Israeli intelligence and military, all anonymously. Both directors previously won the Oscar for best documentary for No Other Land. Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest, executive produced NAZA.
The film is now heading to theaters across fifty-six territories in partnership with MK2 Films. After premiering at the New York Film Festival, it opens at the IFC Center in New York before expanding to Los Angeles and rolling out nationally. The international release spans the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Turkey, the Middle East, and more. The Guardian is also exploring screenings in the occupied Palestinian territories. The documentary will stream free on theguardian.com in late November.
The filmmakers have not been deterred. In a statement, Abraham and Szor said they made the film out of obligation to examine the systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which their country is responsible, and that neither government threats nor death threats would stop it. Forty-three Israeli human rights organizations urged authorities to halt incitement against the directors. More than fifteen hundred Israeli filmmakers signed a petition in solidarity. International figures including Ken Loach, Laura Poitras, and Joshua Oppenheimer have spoken out, with Oppenheimer calling the government's response a full-scale intimidation campaign. "I am appalled and enraged," he said.
What the film documents — the systems by which civilian casualties are anticipated and built into military planning — remains at the center of the story, even as its release has become a test of whether Israeli filmmakers can examine their own state's conduct without facing legal retaliation and the loss of citizenship itself.
On a September night in Venice, a documentary about how Israel calculates civilian deaths in Gaza received a standing ovation that lasted twenty-five minutes—a festival record. The film, called NAZA, was made by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by The Guardian. It won the special jury prize. Within days of that premiere, the Israeli prime minister called for the directors' citizenship to be revoked, accused them of treason, and said he would push for new laws allowing the state to strip nationality from people who "smear" Israeli soldiers or "defame" Israel. Rightwing activists gathered outside Szor's parents' home. Police were deployed. One protester demanded the death penalty for traitors and called for the demolition of the filmmakers' family houses.
NAZA is built on three years of Guardian journalism, reporting done in partnership with +972 Magazine and Local Call, a Hebrew-language outlet. The documentary examines the systems behind what it describes as Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The title itself is a military acronym—one used by Israeli intelligence to indicate how many civilians are expected to die in a given airstrike. Abraham and Szor shot the film at night on Tel Aviv rooftops and interviewed twenty-four members of Israeli intelligence and military, all granted anonymity. Both directors won the Oscar for best documentary in 2024 for a different film, No Other Land, which they made with Palestinian co-directors Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. Jonathan Glazer, who directed The Zone of Interest and Under the Skin, executive produced NAZA.
The film is now heading to theaters. A theatrical release across fifty-six territories is planned in partnership with MK2 Films, beginning with North American screenings. After premiering at the New York Film Festival on Saturday, it opens at the IFC Center in New York four days later. On October 9, it expands to Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities before rolling out nationally. The international rollout includes the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand, France, Spain, Germany, Central America, and the Middle East. The Guardian is also exploring how the film can be shown in the occupied Palestinian territories. After its theatrical run concludes, the documentary will stream free on theguardian.com in late November as part of the news organization's commitment to independent journalism.
The response from Israel's government has been swift and severe. Netanyahu and senior military and far-right political figures have called for the directors' citizenship to be revoked. The prime minister announced he would seek legislation allowing the state to strip citizenship from those who "smear" Israeli soldiers or "defame" the state. The threats have not deterred Abraham and Szor. In a statement, they said they made the film out of obligation to examine the systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which their country is responsible. "The threats from the Israeli government to revoke our citizenship and the death threats do not change that and will not stop the film," they said.
The filmmakers have found substantial support. Forty-three Israeli human rights organizations issued a joint statement urging authorities to stop what they called incitement and threats against Abraham and Szor, and not to prosecute them or their sources. More than fifteen hundred Israeli filmmakers signed a petition defending freedom of expression and creation and expressing solidarity with the directors. International filmmakers have also spoken out. Ken Loach, Joshua Oppenheimer, Paul Laverty, Laura Poitras, Nan Goldin, Richard Eyre, and Hanif Kureishi have all voiced support. Oppenheimer, who directed the Oscar-nominated documentaries The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence, said the Israeli government is waging a full-scale intimidation campaign against film directors. "I am appalled and enraged," he said.
What NAZA documents—the systems by which civilian casualties are anticipated and incorporated into military planning—remains at the center of the story, even as the film's release has become a test of whether Israeli filmmakers can examine their own state's actions without facing legal retaliation and threats to their citizenship and safety. The theatrical rollout will determine whether audiences in more than fifty countries see what Abraham and Szor filmed on those Tel Aviv rooftops, and whether the free streaming release on The Guardian's platform in November reaches viewers who might otherwise never encounter the film.
Citações Notáveis
We made this film out of a sense of obligation to use our position as Israelis to examine the systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which our country is responsible.— Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor
The Israeli government is waging a full-scale intimidation campaign against film directors. I am appalled and enraged.— Joshua Oppenheimer, director of The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence
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