Naza
An illuminating documentary by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor (No Other Land) about the systems behind the bombardment of Gaza and the way civilian deaths become part of military decision-making.
On the rooftops of Tel Aviv, Israeli military personnel hold secret conversations at night. Step by step, the film reveals how the army and intelligence services determine who becomes a target, which technologies and procedures are used, and how many civilian casualties an attack may cause. The title refers to Nezek Agavi, the Israeli military term for ‘collateral damage’: the expected number of civilian casualties resulting from an air strike.
Following the Oscar-winning No Other Land, which Abraham and Szor made with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, the Israeli filmmakers turn their gaze towards their own society. The Israeli Minister of Culture has called the filmmakers traitors and wants to strip them of their citizenship. NAZA builds on investigative reporting by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call between 2023 and 2025. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize.