The North American premiere of the Israeli documentary NAZA was held at Lincoln Center in New York on September 26, 2026, as part of the New York Film Festival. Despite a powerful northeaster, the two weekend screenings sold out in minutes, with dozens of people waiting in a box office standby line that stretched around the corner. The documentary, produced by The Guardian, alleges that Israeli forces knowingly killed large numbers of civilians in Gaza.
The film has received early acclaim, winning the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival earlier in the month. It will be made available for free on The Guardian's website later this year. However, the documentary has also sparked controversy, with Israeli officials and the country's military issuing a public rebuttal after the film's reception in Venice. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff called the film a "deliberate distortion of reality".
The Israeli filmmakers, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, have faced intense backlash at home, with Israel's culture minister threatening to strip them of their citizenship and protesters accusing the duo of treason in a demonstration outside Szor's parents' home. Roni Tamari, who organized a rally supporting the filmmakers on Saturday, called the Israeli reaction "out of proportion". The rally was held in solidarity with the filmmakers and drew a crowd of supporters.
Meanwhile, a larger group of protesters across the street denounced the film as they waved Israeli flags. The protest was organized by the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which drew dozens of critics of the film who believe it omits the context of Hamas's October 7 attack in its depiction of the IDF's military campaign in Gaza. Speakers included IAC chief communities officer Noa Peri-Jensch and a pair of survivors of the Nova festival that Hamas attacked.
A fleet of four black trucks circled the area with LED screens that displayed images of Hamas's attack along with various messages. Peri-Jensch said during the rally that "we mourn every innocent life lost in this war, Israeli or Palestinian". However, she also emphasized that "compassion for Palestinian civilians does not require [us] to erase October 7, ignore Hamas, or accept one narrative without questioning it".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed legislation last week that would strip the Israeli filmmakers of their citizenship, while the Israeli army has weighed taking legal action against them. Protesters gathered outside Szor's parents' home multiple nights in a row last week calling on authorities to "expel the traitors". One speaker called for Abraham and Szor to be executed while the crowd chanted, "Execute the traitors".
Despite the controversy, some attendees at the premiere expressed their support for the filmmakers and the film. Moshe Kayam, an Israeli-American who demonstrated in solidarity with the NAZA filmmakers on Saturday, said IAC's rally was "doing a disservice" because the October 7 attacks were indeed "horrendous", but "did not justify the mass killing" of civilians in Gaza.
Key points
- The documentary NAZA alleges Israeli forces knowingly killed civilians in Gaza.
- The film's premiere was met with protests and controversy.
- Israeli officials and the country's military have issued a public rebuttal to the film.
