Israeli minister seeks to strip citizenship from NAZA filmmakers over Gaza documentary
Israel's culture minister, Miki Zohar, has asked authorities to revoke the citizenship of Oscar-winning directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, accusing them of treason over their documentary NAZA, which alleges AI-powered mass killings in Gaza. The film, produced by the Guardian, won a special jury prize at Venice. The move has drawn support from some ministers and criticism from over 700 film industry figures.
Bottom line — Zohar's threat follows NAZA's Venice prize and a record 25-minute ovation, escalating pressure on Israeli filmmakers who expose wartime conduct.
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- NAZA, named after the Hebrew acronym for collateral damage, features 24 Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers describing AI targeting systems, per the BBC.
- One source claims approval was given to kill 500 civilians for a single Hamas member; the IDF calls this 'completely false', per the Guardian.
- The IDF says whistleblower identities 'cannot be verified' and invites directors to show the full film for a fact-based review, per CBS News.
- Zohar wrote on X that the directors are 'willing to harm their homeland just to get applause from antisemites', per Novara Media.
- The directors previously won an Oscar for No Other Land, about settler violence in the West Bank, per the BBC.
- Gaza's health ministry reports over 73,000 Palestinian deaths since October 2023, a figure the UN considers reliable, per the BBC.
- More than 700 film industry members signed a petition supporting the directors against a 'campaign of incitement', per the BBC.