Film industry heavyweights across the globe have expressed solidarity with Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Oscar-winning Israeli directors of the documentary NAZA, who have been threatened with having their citizenship revoked by Israel’s culture minister, Miki Zohar, who accused them of "treason against the state".

Background on NAZA

NAZA, produced by the Guardian, is named for an acronym euphemistically used by Israel’s intelligence service to indicate how many civilians it expects to die in an airstrike on Gaza. The documentary includes interviews with 24 Israeli military or intelligence soldiers and officers who outlined the AI-powered targeting systems used to bombard Gaza, resulting in the mass killing of Palestinian civilians. The film builds on revelations first published by the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, and the Guardian between 2023 and 2025.

The 80-minute documentary won the special jury prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival on Saturday, after receiving a 25-minute standing ovation – a festival record.

Minister's Accusations

On Sunday, Zohar accused the directors of being willing to "harm their homeland in order to receive applause from antisemites around the world". He stated, "I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators for treason against the state," on X.

Industry Reactions

Representatives for Venice, or the jury headed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, have not yet commented on these threats. However, the artistic director of the Telluride Film Festival, widely acknowledged as the foremost Oscars launchpad, voiced her outrage. Julie Huntsinger stated:

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"Documentary filmmakers 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."

Her sentiments were echoed by the heads of the Locarno Film Festival, who affirmed their support for filmmakers' rights to pursue difficult subjects without fear of reprisal. They emphasized that artistic and journalistic freedom are foundational to cinema.

Upcoming Screenings

NAZA will screen at the San Sebastián Film Festival next week. In a statement, its festival directors said the film "exposes the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government" and that they stand "in solidarity" with the film’s makers as well as "the Palestinian people". The documentary will also show at the Bologna Film Festival tonight, before its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival later this month.