“NAZA” arrives in New York: Abraham and Szor respond to threats after festival premiere

The documentary “NAZA” had its North American premiere on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the 64th New York Film Festival (NYFF) at Lincoln Center, where Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, Oscar winners for the documentary “No Other Land”, took part in a Q&A session in which they responded to the threats that have followed them in recent weeks, as The Guardian reports.

Before the audience, Abraham stated: “These crimes you saw are continuing… they are continuing because that is what our country is doing, and because your country is supporting and financing it.” Szor for her part said: “Our country is doing everything to hide these systems… it is not an open world even for the Israeli public.”

The film is an 80-minute documentary — the name comes from the Hebrew military abbreviation for the number of civilians expected to die in an airstrike — and features the testimonies of 24 Israeli intelligence soldiers and officers, whose identities are kept hidden, describing the artificial intelligence systems used for target selection in Gaza. The documentary was filmed secretly on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, is based on 2023–2025 reporting in The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call, and was produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, with executive producer Jonathan Glazer.

The world premiere was held at the Venice Festival in early September, where the film received around 24–25 minutes of standing ovation — a festival record — as well as the Special Jury Prize. Distribution begins September 30 at the IFC Center in New York, expands to Los Angeles and other American cities on October 9, while theatrical screenings are planned in 55–56 territories through The Guardian and mk2; in November the documentary will stream free on The Guardian’s website.

Reactions have been fierce: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the film “shocking incitement” and compared it to “the launch of dozens of ballistic missiles” against Israel, warning of legislation to strip the two directors of their citizenship; Culture Minister Miki Zohar accused them of “betrayal of the state” and demanded their citizenship be revoked; army chief Eyal Zamir declared the army “will not allow IDF soldiers to become targets through lies and blood libels” and will use “every means available”, while the Israeli army rejects the film’s accusations. During the premiere, a small group of pro-Israeli protesters with Israeli flags gathered outside Lincoln Center, while the International Documentary Association (IDA) called on Israel to stop the threats against the directors.