Nova Festival Survivor Offers 'Genocide' Footage to Counter 'NAZA' Film

A survivor of the October 7th Nova music festival attack confronted attendees at the New York Film Festival premiere of the film "NAZA," offering his personal phone footage as evidence of atrocities.

Rom El-Hai, who is actively involved in Israeli advocacy, stood outside Lincoln Center during the premiere on Saturday, addressing protestors and festival-goers. He stated, "If there is anyone here who wants to make a film about genocide, hatred, brutality, and the killing of innocent people, all the material is here on my phone." He showed his mobile device, explaining he had personally filmed the events and witnessed the hatred firsthand.

El-Hai also commented on the film's creators, referring to them as "liars and traitors," drawing a parallel to Jews who allegedly collaborated with Nazis during the Holocaust. He expressed that such individuals do not bother him.

Simultaneously, dozens of pro-Israel protestors organized by the Israeli-American Council (IAC) demonstrated outside the venue. They displayed signs and projected footage from the October 7th Hamas attack on LED screens mounted on trucks, urging attendees not to ignore the events that led to the ongoing war. IAC leader Noa Peri-Yansh stated that compassion for Palestinian civilians should not necessitate forgetting October 7th or Hamas.

The film "NAZA," described as anti-Israel, has drawn criticism, including from Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who requested the head of the Shin Bet security agency investigate the film's source materials and interviewees. The film's creators, Yuval Avraham and Rachel Shor, defended their use of anonymous testimonies as a standard journalistic tool, acknowledging the film addresses the October 7th massacre as "completely unjustified" while also asserting that this does not justify harm to Palestinian civilians.