A New Chapter in Fearless Filmmaking
When Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham took the stage at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year to accept the Documentary Film Award for No Other Land, they didn't just celebrate a cinematic victory; they sparked a global conversation. Their visceral portrayal of the destruction of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank was met with both critical acclaim and intense political backlash. Now, the filmmaking duo is doubling down on their mission to bring uncomfortable truths to the screen with their latest project, NAZA.
The new documentary, which has been shrouded in a level of confidentiality rarely seen in the entertainment industry, takes an even more daring approach. While their previous work focused on the perspective of the occupied, NAZA turns the lens toward the occupiers. The film centers on the testimonies of 24 Israeli soldiers who served in Gaza, all of whom spoke to the directors under a veil of total secrecy to avoid legal repercussions and social ostracization.
The Weight of Secrecy
In a recent interview with Variety, the directors detailed the grueling process of documenting these stories. The logistical hurdles were immense. Filming took place in darkened rooms and undisclosed locations, with the soldiers often fearing that even their families might find out about their participation. "There is a wall of silence that is incredibly hard to pierce," Yuval Abraham noted, reflecting on the psychological barrier many soldiers faced before deciding to speak.
The decision to focus on the soldiers' perspectives wasn't born out of a desire to shift the narrative away from Palestinian suffering, but rather to dismantle the infrastructure of denial that exists within Israeli society. According to Adra and Abraham, there is a disconnect between the reality of military operations in Gaza and the way those actions are processed or ignored by the public. By giving a platform to those who carried out orders, the directors hope to make the "invisible" visible.
Challenging the Culture of Denial
One of the most striking revelations from the directors is the sheer scale of information that remains hidden from the average citizen. "There is still so much denial of what is happening," Abraham explained. The film's title, NAZA—a play on the Hebrew pronunciation of Gaza—serves as a linguistic bridge to this internal Israeli perspective. The soldiers interviewed describe a reality of indiscriminate force and a lack of clear objectives, stories that rarely make it into mainstream evening news broadcasts.
This project comes at a time when the role of the documentary filmmaker is evolving. No longer just observers, Abraham and Adra are acting as forensic investigators of the national psyche. As detailed in the original report by Variety, the directors are acutely aware of the risks involved. In Israel, the backlash to No Other Land included accusations of antisemitism and threats of violence—labels the directors, one Palestinian and one Israeli, vehemently reject as distractions from the humanitarian issues at hand.
The Human Element Behind the Uniform
What makes NAZA particularly compelling is its refusal to paint the soldiers as monolithic villains or simple victims of a system. Instead, it captures the messy, often contradictory emotions of young men and women caught in a cycle of violence. Some speak with regret, others with a chilling sense of detachment, but all provide a raw look at the mechanics of conflict that are usually sanitized for public consumption.
The directors emphasize that these 24 individuals represent a cross-section of a society in crisis. By bringing these voices to light, the film seeks to force a confrontation with the consequences of long-term military engagement. It is a cinematic exercise in radical honesty, designed to peel back the layers of propaganda that both sides often use to shield themselves from the human cost of war.
Looking Toward a Global Release
As NAZA moves through the final stages of production, the industry is watching closely. The success of No Other Land has proven that there is a significant appetite for unfiltered, high-stakes storytelling, even—or perhaps especially—when it challenges the status quo. The directors are currently navigating the complexities of international distribution, seeking partners who are willing to weather the inevitable political storms that follow their work.
Ultimately, the goal of NAZA is not just to inform, but to provoke a shift in consciousness. By documenting the testimonies of those who were on the front lines, Adra and Abraham are ensuring that when the history of this era is written, it won't just be the official statements that remain. They are building an archive of truth in a time of profound uncertainty, proving once again that film remains one of the most powerful tools for social change.
The conversation surrounding the Gaza conflict is often polarized and reductive. However, through the lens of these 24 soldiers, NAZA promises to offer a nuanced, albeit harrowing, perspective that demands to be seen. In an age of digital misinformation, the directors' commitment to primary-source testimony and boots-on-the-ground reporting is a vital contribution to the global cinematic landscape.
