Israeli Culture Minister Slams Venice Award-Winning Film as 'Betrayal'

Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar issued a scathing condemnation of the Israeli documentary "NAZA," which recently won an award at the Venice Film Festival. Zohar described the win as "shocking" and accused the filmmakers of "burning self-hatred," even threatening to revoke their Israeli citizenship.

"The victory of the despicable film NAZA at the Venice festival is shocking," Zohar stated. "The burning self-hatred of the creators who are willing to harm their homeland to receive applause from antisemites in the world is incomprehensible and constitutes betrayal of the state."

Zohar linked this incident to a reform he spearheaded in Israeli cinema, asserting, "This is precisely why I led the important reform in cinema so that Israeli citizens will no longer pay out of their own pockets for harming IDF soldiers and the State of Israel." He concluded his statement with a particularly unusual threat: "As Minister of Culture, I will act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these vile creators for betraying the state."

The documentary "NAZA" (NAZA), a British production directed by Israelis Yuval Avraham and Rachel Shore, reportedly examines the systems behind the killing of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip during the Swords of Iron War. According to the film's description, it presents Israeli testimonies suggesting intentional and systematic mass killings. The film's title refers to the acronym for "collateral damage," an Israeli intelligence term for the expected number of civilian casualties in an airstrike.

Zohar's remarks come about a year after he launched the Ministry of Culture's Cinema Awards ceremony, intended to provide financial incentives to Israeli filmmakers. This ceremony, which was controversial upon its launch, offers prizes of 100,000 shekels in ten different categories. As part of Zohar's reform, criteria for government funding for Israeli films were changed, emphasizing content that strengthens Israeli and Zionist identity. The minister claimed the reform's goal is to prevent taxpayer money from funding works that criticize Israel.

The controversy surrounding "NAZA" adds to a series of instances where Israeli creators have faced criticism for their political stances or works. Over the past year, since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, tensions have intensified between creators and establishment figures regarding how Israel is portrayed on the international stage.