Nova Survivor Offers 'Genocide' Footage to Filmmakers at Anti-Israel Film Premiere

A survivor of the October 7 Nova music festival massacre confronted attendees at the New York Film Festival premiere of "NAZA," an anti-Israel film, offering his personal phone footage of the atrocities.

Rom El-Hai, who was present at the festival's Lincoln Center venue on Saturday, addressed the crowd, stating, "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 documented everything he witnessed, including the "hatred in my eyes."

El-Hai, who is active in promoting Israel's narrative, also commented on the film's creators, calling them "liars and traitors." He drew a parallel to historical instances where individuals collaborated against their own people, saying, "Even during the Holocaust, there were Jews who joined the Nazis against other Jews."

Outside the premiere, dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators organized by the Israeli-American Council (IAC) protested the screening. They displayed trucks with LED screens showing footage from the October 7 Hamas attack and urged attendees not to ignore the events that led to the current war. IAC leader Noa Freid-Yanesh stated that compassion for Palestinian civilians does not necessitate forgetting October 7 or Hamas.

Inside the theater, the film's creators, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore, defended their work against criticism. They justified the use of anonymous testimonies as a standard practice in investigative journalism. Abraham acknowledged that the film addresses the October 7 massacre, which he called "completely unjustified," but added that this does not justify harming Palestinian civilians. The controversy has prompted Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar to request the head of the Shin Bet security agency to investigate the film's source materials and interviewees.