Israeli Filmmakers Receive Death Threats After Gaza Documentary Premieres in Venice

The documentary film "NAZA" (Accidental Damage), by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore, received a 24-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival yesterday. The film presents testimonies from 24 IDF soldiers and officers, which the filmmakers state reveal "the systems behind the calculated mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel." The documentary is based on investigations, some of which were published over the past three years by Abraham and others.

Abraham and Shore, both Oscar winners for "No Other Land" (2024), explained in an opinion piece for Sicha Mekomit that their motivation was to make denial of alleged war crimes more difficult. "We made it for one main reason, out of the understanding that testimonies from soldiers and officers in the army that destroyed Gaza will make the denial of the crimes harder. This denial allows crimes to continue, and therefore there is great value in publishing these testimonies," they wrote. They emphasized that the film focuses on systemic issues, including orders, operational patterns, and policy, rather than isolated incidents.

Following the Venice screening, the filmmakers received death threats, sparking a strong reaction from the Israeli documentary community. The Israeli Documentary Forum issued a statement condemning the threats, asserting the right of creators to examine and present reality, even when their perspective is controversial. "Documentary cinema is not supposed to provide an agreed-upon version of reality. It can reveal, disturb, raise questions, and open public debate," the Forum stated, adding that threats are not legitimate criticism and aim to silence creators, thereby harming freedom of expression.

Ari Davis, an investigator for The Guardian and a producer of the film, commented that "NAZA" exposes how Israel's mass surveillance in the occupied Palestinian territories was utilized as a tool in what he described as the most destructive aerial bombing campaign in recent history. He added that a system built for listening and control helped create a mass killing machine.