Gaza Documentary ‘NAZA’ Receives Standing Ovation and Counter-Protest at New York Film Festival Premiere
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The documentary 'NAZA' premiered at the New York Film Festival to a standing ovation, with co-director Yuval Abraham addressing the audience about United States military and financial support for Israel and its deployment in Gaza. Abraham argued that American taxpayers should be informed about the consequences of their government's foreign aid commitments. The film, which previously won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, examines Israel's military operations in Gaza.
The premiere was met with organised opposition when the Israeli-American Council staged a protest outside the venue, contesting the film's narrative framing. Protesters argued that the documentary presents a one-sided account of Israel's actions in Gaza whilst omitting crucial context regarding the October 7 attack. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over how the Israel-Gaza conflict is represented in documentary media and public discourse.
- Documentary 'NAZA' premiered at NYFF with standing ovation; co-director discussed US military support for Israel in Gaza
- Israeli-American Council organised counter-protest, claiming the film lacks balance and omits October 7 context
- Film previously won special jury prize at Venice Film Festival
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters argue that documentary filmmakers serve an essential democratic function by scrutinising government expenditure and military actions, particularly given the substantial American aid funding involved. They contend that citizens have a right to understand the real-world consequences of their government's foreign commitments, and that examining these consequences—rather than avoiding scrutiny—strengthens accountability. This perspective treats transparency about military outcomes as fundamental to informed democratic participation.
The case against
Critics maintain that analysing the Gaza conflict responsibly requires adequate contextualisation, particularly regarding the October 7 attack and its role in precipitating the military response. They argue that examining military operations without proportionate engagement with this triggering event risks presenting an incomplete narrative that cannot fairly assess causation or proportionality. From this view, journalism and documentary work have an obligation to integrate foundational context rather than risk distorting viewers' understanding of why events occurred.
Full account
The Gaza documentary ‘NAZA’ received a standing ovation at its North American premiere during the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, where directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor took part in a short discussion after the screening. The film, which was made from nighttime rooftop locations in Tel Aviv, examines Israeli military operations in Gaza and alleges a systematic killing of Palestinian civilians. It follows an earlier Venice Film Festival debut, where it won a special jury prize and, according to the reports, drew an unusually lengthy ovation.
Speaking after the New York screening, Abraham said he considered the US showing particularly significant because of American financial and military support for Israel. He told the audience that the film was intended to make it more difficult to deny the scale of events depicted in Gaza. He also said that the Hamas-led 7 October attack and the killing of civilians in Israel were unjustifiable, while arguing that they could not justify the subsequent deaths of large numbers of civilians in Gaza.
Outside Alice Tully Hall, more than 50 people protested under the auspices of the Israeli-American Council. Mobile LED displays showed footage from 7 October and images of people killed in the attack, while demonstrators carried signs calling on passers-by to examine the facts. The council described ‘NAZA’ as anti-Israel, saying it advanced serious claims about the Israel Defense Forces without adequately addressing material that it believed challenged those claims, Hamas’s role, or the context of the attack that preceded the war. Police maintained an additional presence outside the venue.
At the demonstration, IAC official Noa Peri-Jensch said sympathy for Palestinian civilians should not mean overlooking Israeli victims or accepting a single account without scrutiny. Rom El-Hai, who survived the Nova music festival attack, criticised the festival’s decision to show the film and referred to images he had recorded on 7 October. Another supporter, Karen Toledano, said Israeli perspectives had been marginalised in cultural spaces. The documentary is due to be released in more than 50 territories before being made available free through The Guardian’s website; the reports also say its makers have faced condemnation from Israeli political figures since the Venice premiere.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 concentrates on the reaction inside the cinema, including the ovation, Abraham’s comments on US support for Israel, and reported threats by Israeli officials against the filmmakers’ citizenship. Source 2 focuses more extensively on the counter-protest, naming its speakers, describing its signs and security arrangements, and setting it against the protesters’ account of 7 October.
Both reports characterise the film through its stated description and relay the IAC’s objections, but neither source material supplied includes independent verification of the documentary’s allegations or of the competing claims about military conduct.
Coverage
- Variety — ‘NAZA’ Co-Director Yuval Abraham Calls Out the U.S. Government for ‘Funding’ Israel’s Destruction of Gaza, Telling NYFF Audience: ‘This Is What Your Country Is Supporting’
- Variety — Israeli Americans Protest ‘NAZA’ by Screening October 7 Footage Outside New York Premiere: ‘Compassion For Palestinian Civilians Doesn’t Require Us to Erase October 7’
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