The vibes at Lincoln Center were highkey intense this Saturday as protesters braved a chilly nor'easter to stand against the North American premiere of the documentary "NAZA." The film, which focuses on the ongoing Gaza War, has been catching major heat from Israel supporters who claim it spreads misinformation.
The drama behind the screen
"NAZA," directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor in partnership with The Guardian, features interviews with 24 anonymous members of the Israeli military and intelligence. The doc makes heavy claims, including allegations that the IDF uses an AI code to determine acceptable civilian death tolls in airstrikes and features a quote from an anonymous source calling the killing of Palestinians "insanely fun."
Critics are calling the film out for its reliance on anonymous sources and say it ignores the realities of the October 7 attacks. Noa Peri-Jensch of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) told The Post, "The movie is trying to portray the IDF or Israel as a group of people who are trying to make systematic killing, which couldn’t be further from the truth."
Making their voices heard
Protesters didn't just stand there with signs; they brought mobile evidence. The IAC organized four trucks to circle the venue, screening raw footage from October 7, including clips from "October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre" to directly challenge the film’s narrative. Shalev Biton, a 27-year-old survivor of the Nova Festival, was on-site and visibly emotional as the trucks played footage of friends he lost in the attack. While the filmmakers and The Guardian stand by their reporting, insisting their sources were properly vetted, the tension outside the festival was palpable.
Why it matters
This protest is the real tea on how deep the divide over the Gaza War narrative goes. When documentaries become the center of political firestorms, it highlights how "truth" is being contested on every front—from the battlefield to the film festival red carpet. For you, it’s a reminder to keep that critical lens polished when consuming media, especially on topics where everyone’s version of the facts is totally different.
