The Israeli Film Directors Pushing for a Reckoning in Their Home Country

About this episode

<p>The documentary film “NAZA,” which investigates the methods the Israeli military has used in the war in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, received a record-breaking standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival last month. Just a few days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would propose legislation that could revoke the directors’ Israeli citizenship, arguing that they had defamed their country.</p><p>Now, with a global theatrical release underway, the directors spoke with “The Daily” to discuss the film and all the pushback that it — and they — have experienced.</p><p>Guest:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Rachel Szor, an Israeli investigative journalist, film director and activist.</li><li>Yuval Abraham, an Israeli investigative journalist, film director and Arabic-Hebrew translator.</li></ul><p>Background reading:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>After accolades abroad, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-naza-documentary-backlash.html?searchResultPosition=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“NAZA” met backlash at home</a>.</li><li>Read The Times’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/movies/naza-review.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">review of the film</a>.</li></ul><p>Photo: Stefano Rellandini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images, The Guardian/IFC Center, Ander Gillenea/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>