‘NAZA’ producer slams Israeli response to film as ‘authoritarian,’ defends its content

14 September 2026, 9:46 pm

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Directors Yuval Abraham (right) and Rachel Szor (left), winners of the Special Jury Prize for 'Naza,' attend a photocall on the red carpet following the closing ceremony of the 83rd Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido on September 12, 2026. (Stefano RELLANDINI/AFP)

“The Guardian,” the British newspaper that co-produced the documentary “NAZA,” slams Israel’s response to the film as “authoritarian” and praises its Israeli directors.

The documentary, which won a prize at the Venice Film Festival but is not in wide release, alleges that Israel used AI-powered strikes to kill civilians in Gaza, a claim the IDF denies.

Israeli military leaders and politicians have called the film a “blood libel,” considered legal action, and threatened to strip the directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, of their citizenship.

“’The Guardian’ is disturbed to see the authoritarian response to ‘NAZA’ in Israel,” the statement reads. “Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor are brave journalists and filmmakers. The attacks against them come from people who have not yet seen the film.”

It adds, “’NAZA’ is based on more than three years of investigative journalism. The testimonies it contains are true and we believe they deserve to be heard. The interviews were given by confidential journalistic sources.”

The statement concludes, “We will robustly defend ‘NAZA’ – and the team behind it – from any attacks or attempts at censorship.”