Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have requested a worldwide suspension of screenings for their documentary film NAZA on October 7.
The decision was announced in Greece by the Thessaloniki Film Festival following instructions from distributor companies Filmtrade and Tanweer. The distributors stated that the global directive came directly from the filmmakers.
Filmtrade and Tanweer requested that prominent screening venues, including the Cinobo Opera and Danaos cinemas in Athens alongside the Olympion in Thessaloniki, cancel all showings scheduled for the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas cross-border attack against Israel.
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival is the premier cinematic event in Greece, while Hamas is the Palestinian militant group whose October 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Security concerns and European distribution
The distributors issued an official statement drafted by production companies MK2 and Guardian in consultation with the directors. They explained that the postponement of all scheduled October 7 screenings was enacted at the request of the filmmakers as a mark of respect for the victims of the 2023 attack.
Filmtrade and Tanweer confirmed that the statement was circulated to all European cinemas showing the documentary. In the Netherlands, theater owners went further by canceling all scheduled screenings across three consecutive days, from October 6 through October 8.
Dutch news outlet Dutch Breaking News reported that the decision to halt screenings in the Netherlands followed security threats made against the directors and their families. Screenings in all participating countries are scheduled to resume normally on Thursday, October 8.
Paris-based film company MK2 and British media organization The Guardian helped produce the documentary, which has been picked up by independent distributors across Europe following its festival circuit debut.
Festival success and documentary contents
The documentary made its world premiere in September at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize and received the longest sustained applause recorded in the history of the event.
In the film, 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers speak under conditions of anonymity. They describe the surveillance, targeting, and remote killing systems used during military operations in Gaza.
According to the film, its title NAZA derives from an acronym used internally within the Israeli military to denote the estimated number of civilian deaths permitted during a single strike.
Held annually on the Lido of Venice, the Venice International Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and forms part of the Big Three international film showcases alongside Cannes and Berlin.
Political fallout and military reaction
The release of NAZA sparked intense political anger inside Israel, drawing immediate public counterattacks from both military officials and government leadership.
The Israeli armed forces issued a formal rebuttal, stating that the narrative of the documentary was based on errors. Military spokespeople added that the film presents an inaccurate, misleading, and dishonest depiction of the target design and attack procedures of the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the project. Netanyahu recently stated that he will seek new legislation granting Israel the authority to strip citizenship from individuals who slander Israeli soldiers.
In separate remarks, Netanyahu attacked the filmmakers directly, comparing the creation and distribution of NAZA to launching dozens of ballistic missiles against Israel.
Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister, leading the conservative Likud party, while the Israel Defense Forces represent the unified military branch responsible for national defense and operations in the Palestinian territories.
