Andrea Innocenti This year's Venice Film Festival featured a film that sparked intense controversy and heated debate: Naza, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor . The documentary, produced by Jonathan Glazer, received a 25 -minute standing ovation , a record for this edition.
The film, which features testimonies from 24 Israeli military and intelligence officials, has drawn mixed reactions.
On the one hand, the audience and the jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal , appreciated the documentary's courage. On the other, the Israeli authorities harshly criticized the film, calling it defamatory and unverifiable.
Naza's shocking testimonies
Filmed clandestinely at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, Naza collects testimonies from those operating within the Israeli targeting system.
The sources, some still in service, speak openly of a system of extermination that involves the mathematical calculation of the human lives that can be sacrificed for each bomb dropped.
Among the most chilling testimonies, one source admits: “I still believe the Nazis were evil, but then what am I?” This confession reflects the moral short circuit that emerges from the film, where blind faith in the system seems to prevail over individual conscience.
The reactions of the Israeli authorities
National Security Minister Ben Gvir attacked the filmmakers on X , calling them “a disgrace and a disgrace to the entire people of Israel .” He added: “I am sure that your friends, our enemies Hamas in Gaza , will welcome you with open arms . ”
Culture Minister Miki Zohar also harshly criticized the film, calling for the directors' citizenship to be revoked. Zohar stated: "The visceral hatred that fuels the producers, willing to denigrate their homeland just to win the applause of anti-Semites around the world, is inconceivable . "
The political context and the revelations
The film premiered just days after revelations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite being warned of a potential Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, did nothing to prevent it. This further fueled the controversy.
Naza 's testimony is based on three years of investigations conducted with the Guardian +972 Magazine and Local Call . The investigations uncovered details of AI- powered targeting systems with names like "Lavender" and "The Gospel . "
The film will be screened in Italy on September 28, 29, and 30, distributed by I Wonder Pictures . Many theaters have already opened advance ticket sales, making the screening a collective event.