Israeli minister targets NAZA directors after Venice win

Israel's Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar said on Sunday he will work to revoke the Israeli citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor over their documentary NAZA.

The statement came a day after NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, an award for distinctive work outside the main top prize. Zohar's call was reported by i24News and The Hollywood Reporter.

In a post on X, Zohar described the film as "vile" and said it "constitutes treason," according to The Hollywood Reporter. He accused Abraham and Szor of betraying the country, as noted in a Times of Israel live report.

NAZA is built around testimony from 24 Israeli military officers. The officers describe systems and protocols they allege Israel uses to target and kill civilians in Gaza. The title comes from an acronym used inside the Israeli military as shorthand for civilian casualties.

The film did not receive any Israeli public funding. It was produced in part with support from the British newspaper The Guardian. Abraham told The Hollywood Reporter that it does not yet have distribution in Israel, meaning no cinema or broadcast deal for release there.

The clash follows a wider dispute over film money. Earlier this year, Zohar overhauled Israel's film financing system, shifting public support away from independent or arthouse projects and toward films with commercial box-office potential. In July, Variety reported that Zohar had escalated his campaign against the industry with a new Likud video.

For viewers coming to this story fresh, the contrast is stark. A film honoured on an international festival stage has no confirmed home audience. What happens next on citizenship and on release remains a matter for official process and for buyers.