Critics rally against 'NAZA' film screening at Hamptons film festival

Dozens of people rallied outside the Sag Harbor Cinema on Saturday against the Hamptons International Film Festival’s screening of “NAZA,” a documentary examining civilian casualties at the hands of Israel’s military in Gaza that has sparked widespread controversy. 

"NAZA" features interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli military sources who describe what they say are systemic practices contributing to Palestinian civilian deaths in the Israel-Hamas war, according to The Associated Press.

The 80-minute documentary examines the Israeli military’s use of artificial intelligence to identify potential targets as well as allegations that commanders knowingly approved strikes likely to kill civilians. The film is named for the acronym of the Hebrew phrase meaning “collateral damage.”

The Israel Defense Forces, in a statement this week, said the film “presents a distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture” of that process to “fit the narrative the film promotes.” The filmmakers did not submit their allegations to the IDF for a response, the IDF said.

The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 250 hostages were taken in a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel. Since then, Israel has waged a counterattack with the stated goal of eliminating Hamas.

There have been more than 74,000 Palestinian deaths in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Hamptons International Film Festival has refused calls to cancel its screenings of the documentary, which received a special jury prize at last month’s Venice Film Festival. Randy Mastro, co-chair of the film festival’s board, said in a statement to Newsday on Friday that pulling the film “would be the wrong thing to do.”

“The answer to speech considered offensive is not censorship; it is more speech,” Mastro said. “We aim to foster artistic expression, open dialogue, constructive conversation and diversity of opinion. That is why we are going to screen this film.”

But demonstrators outside the theater Saturday night denounced the screening.

“I think this film tries to delegitimize the right of a Jewish state to exist, and also cast the war in Gaza in what I think is a not fully accurate light,” said Jack Kliger, 79, of Noyac, who was among about 50 demonstrators.

“What Israel went through on Oct. 7 should never be forgotten,” said Mitchel Agoos, 88, of Amagansett. “And these two rogue traitors justified part of that by making this horrible film demonizing the IDF, which is probably the most moral fighting force in the world.”

People who lined up to enter the Sag Harbor Cinema to view "NAZA" said they wanted to see the film to inform their opinions, or out of support for Palestinians.

Ken Dorph, 73, of Sag Harbor, said he was seeing the film to “bear witness” to the killing of Palestinian civilians.

“In this country, there has been a concerted effort to suppress the Palestinian narrative for 50 years. So it’s really important that the Palestinian narrative be heard,” he said.

John Spencer, 50, an urban warfare researcher from Colorado, said he has reservations about the film’s reported use of anonymous sources and its portrayal of collateral damage in a negative light. But he said it was important to see the documentary before judging it.

“I wanted to make sure I saw it before I critique what I view as the gaps in what’s being documented,” he said.

Mastro said that “to provide more diverse views,” the festival has added “The Choice,” a 2026 documentary film about Israeli families grieving the Oct. 7 attack, and “Holding Liat,” a 2025 documentary focused on a couple held hostage after the attack and their family.

The festival will also host a panel discussion among experts on the media's depictions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Sunday at LTV Studios in Wainscott. Another screening of “NAZA” is scheduled for Oct. 9 at the East Hampton Regal.

It has been criticized by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it part of “global antisemitic incitement.”

David Saxe, of Sag Harbor, whose group, East End Jews for Israel, organized the demonstration, said the film presents itself as a factual documentary while relying heavily on anonymous sources.

Israel’s cultural minister has called for the film's directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, to be stripped of their Israeli citizenship. The military chief of general staff has asked military prosecutors to investigate potential leaks.

The filmmakers and the British daily newspaper The Guardian, a co-producer, have defended the reporting in “NAZA.” Abraham has said the accounts were subject to verification, and that participants sought anonymity because of the risks of speaking publicly about military conduct.