Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar has said that he will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor following their documentary’s win at the Venice Film Festival, per thewrap.com.
The announcement comes after Abraham and Szor’s film, NAZA, secured the special jury prize at Venice. The documentary investigates the ongoing Gaza war and features interviews with Israel Defense Force soldiers and intelligence officers concerning civilian casualties, taking its title from a military acronym used to measure expected collateral damage.
Zohar condemned the award on social media, describing the creators’ work as treason against the state intended to harm Israel for international applause. He linked the controversy to his prior cinema reforms aimed at blocking state funding for projects critical of the IDF and the country.
The feature reunites Abraham and Szor following their 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which focused on West Bank settler violence. That previous project involved Palestinian co-directors Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, both of whom faced subsequent detentions and attacks by security forces and settlers. The IDF has denied specific claims made within NAZA regarding casualty estimations, while the film examines how the total death toll in the conflict reached high figures.
•Featured image: Naza’ directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor at Venice Film Festival (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)