Israeli filmmakers back NAZA creators after 'treason' claims

Prominent Israeli filmmakers including Ari Folman, Shlomi Elkabetz and Ran Tal have signed a petition backing the creators of NAZA, a documentary featuring testimony from military insiders about operations in Gaza, following official threats to revoke the directors' citizenship.

Industry solidarity

The petition has drawn more than 200 signatures from across the Israeli film industry, with directors Michal Aviad also listed among its supporters. "The central role of art and journalism is to hold a mirror up to the society in which they exist," the petition said, according to Israeli media. The initiative emerged after directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor faced escalating criticism and threats following the documentary's Special Jury Prize win at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Official backlash

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar branded the filmmakers' work an act of "treason" and announced his intention to seek revocation of their Israeli citizenship, Israeli media reported Monday. The culture minister lacks the unilateral authority to strip citizenship under Israeli law — such a measure would require formal legal proceedings involving the interior minister and the courts.

Documentary examination

NAZA, produced by British newspaper The Guardian and JW Films, takes its title from the Hebrew military abbreviation for "collateral damage," referring to the estimated number of civilians expected to be killed in an attack. The Israeli army rejected the documentary's allegations and questioned the reliability of testimony from anonymous sources, asserting that strike authorization decisions remain under human control rather than artificial intelligence. Abraham and Szor previously co-directed the Academy Award-winning documentary No Other Land alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.