The film "NAZA" will have its North American premiere Saturday at the New York Film Festival, while outside the festival venue at Lincoln Center, footage documenting the Oct. 7 massacre will be shown on giant screens.
The film, which has sparked widespread controversy in Israel and abroad and is often described by critics as "anti-Zionist," is based on anonymous testimony from Israel Defense Forces soldiers. It makes allegations about IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, but protest organizers say it ignores information that contradicts its conclusions as well as the massacre that triggered the war.
At a rally organized by the Israeli-American Council, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, about half an hour before the screening, LED screens mounted on trucks will show excerpts from "October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre," including footage filmed by Hamas terrorists' body cameras during their invasion of Israel and the massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.
'Movies have editors. History does not'
Nova music festival survivors Rom El-Hai and Shalev Biton are expected to take part in the event, along with Yunis Alkarnawi, a Bedouin Israeli who rescued dozens of people on the day of the massacre.
"Movies have editors. History does not," the organization said. "Our presence here is the message: We will not allow October 7 to be erased from the story."
The IAC has also launched a petition calling for future screenings of the film to be accompanied by survivor testimony, discussions presenting a range of perspectives and relevant background material.
After New York, the film is also expected to be screened in the Hamptons, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, around the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre.
Speaking with Israel Hayom, two local women who had come to see the film at its festival premiere said, "It is very important to be at a screening like this."
Asked what they had heard about the film beforehand, they said: "We heard about the ambivalent feelings toward the filmmakers and that the filmmakers are controversial in terms of how Israelis perceive them right now. We think it is very important for this side to be represented in a war like this. It should also be noted that this concerns us as well, since the American government is also funding this genocide."
Did you see the trucks outside supporting Israel and showing the massacre that took place on Oct. 7? What do you think about that?
"That does not concern us. In a certain sense, I don't think the context of October 7 is necessary in order to see the film. I mean, it is a film that stands on its own, without dismissing what is happening in Israel."
Do you think the film helps Palestinians?
"I hope it helps Palestinians. I want to believe in the power of art. Watching films can change the way people think about or perceive something. We hope and believe that documentary filmmaking, which as a genre is itself a medium of protest, will have an impact."
Sivan and Hila, two Israelis living in New York, came to support the activists demonstrating outside the premiere at Lincoln Center.
Asked why it was important for them to attend, Sivan said: "So as not to lend a hand to propaganda. So as not to allow history to repeat itself. There is nothing wrong with presenting another perspective, but there is a difference between facts and lies.
"To screen a film like this without mentioning the hostages, the massacre or the abuse they endured even once is not presenting another perspective. This film is also a powerful step that will ultimately cause people to forget (the Oct. 7 massacre), whether that is what the filmmakers intended or not. That will be the result."
Sivan went on to say that, in his view, there was no place for such a film against the backdrop of rising antisemitism on the streets of New York.
"It contributes to the antisemitic climate here," he said. "According to the film's outlook, Jews are deliberately trying to kill Palestinian civilians, without mentioning any motivation or humanity. It portrays the Jewish people in a very particular way. There is reason for concern."
