Directors of Gaza Documentary 'NAZA' Address U.S. Audiences at NYFF

Filmmakers behind the investigative documentary "NAZA" used its New York Film Festival premiere on Saturday to directly confront American audiences regarding their government's financial backing of military operations in Gaza.

Co-director Yuval Abraham, speaking on stage alongside collaborator Rachel Szor and festival director Dennis Lim, emphasized the specific urgency of presenting the project to a North American crowd. Abraham told attendees that the film spotlights actions supported by domestic resources, remarking that "these older officials are talking about what is being done with taxpayer money from people sitting here," according to remarks reported by TheWrap via Variety. He added, "This is what your country is supporting and funding … Part of the goal (of this film) is to make denial of what’s going on in Gaza harder."

The documentary draws its title from an Israeli military acronym used to estimate anticipated civilian casualties prior to an airstrike. Produced by mk2 and The Guardian, the film incorporates accounts from anonymous Israeli military intelligence personnel and soldiers. Among the testimonies is a claim that the Israel Defense Forces approved an airstrike carrying an estimated toll of 500 Palestinian lives, an assertion the IDF has denied.

Abraham and Szor previously directed "No Other Land" alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. That project, which documented settler violence in the occupied West Bank, won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2025.

For the international documentary market, navigating active geopolitical crises presents both commercial distribution challenges and high-profile festival interest. Hollywood Tomorrow notes that while major domestic platforms remain cautious around polarizing geopolitical subjects, the involvement of Oscar-winning filmmakers and European co-producers continues to secure prominent placement for rigorous investigative non-fiction.