Israel's Culture Minister vows to move immediately to revoke NAZA filmmakers’ citizenship

Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar called Sunday for the citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor to be revoked after their Gaza war documentary, NAZA, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.

Zohar denounced the film as “vile” and accused its creators of harming Israel to win international approval. He characterized their work as treason, an allegation that has not been established through judicial proceedings.

“The Venice Film Festival win for the vile film NAZA is shocking,” Zohar said in a statement released by his office. He added that he would act immediately to seek the revocation of the filmmakers’ citizenship.

The culture minister does not possess unilateral authority to revoke Israeli citizenship. Under Israeli law, citizenship revocation on grounds of disloyalty is subject to a formal legal process involving the interior minister and the courts.

Zohar also linked the controversy to his proposed overhaul of public funding for Israeli cinema, saying taxpayers should not be required to finance works he considers attacks on the Israel Defense Forces or the state.

The documentary, directed by Abraham and Szor, is based on interviews conducted over three years with 24 people presented as Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. Their identities are concealed in the film.

The interviewees describe Israel’s surveillance and target-selection systems in Gaza, as well as the approval of strikes expected to cause civilian casualties. The film alleges that military operations were knowingly authorized despite projections of extensive civilian harm.

The IDF has rejected the documentary’s allegations and questioned its credibility, arguing that anonymous or junior personnel would not necessarily have access to the strategic information discussed.

Accepting the award in Venice, Abraham criticized Israeli politicians and journalists who condemned the documentary without viewing it. He said efforts were being made to avoid confronting the reality portrayed in the film.

Filmed at night on Tel Aviv rooftops, NAZA takes its name from a Hebrew military abbreviation referring to collateral damage. It received a prolonged standing ovation following its festival premiere.

Abraham and Szor were also among the directors of No Other Land, alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. The film, documenting Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, won the 2025 Academy Award for best documentary feature.