IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defrin made an unusual request to the creators of the film NAZA, asking them to allow IDF representatives to view the complete documentary. "To enable substantive, professional and fact-based discussion rather than settling for false representations, I invite the filmmakers to allow IDF representatives to screen the full film, so we can address each claim raised in it substantively," Defrin said.
Venice Film Festival Winner
IDF Asks to Screen 'No Other Land' Film
Amid controversy over Venice-winning documentary featuring anonymous testimonies attributed to Unit 8200 soldiers, IDF Spokesman Efi Defrin requests access to full film so we can address each claim substantively
The request follows a sharp official response issued overnight by the IDF's international media spokesman against NAZA, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. The documentary presents anonymous testimonies attributed to soldiers in Unit 8200 regarding IDF operations in Gaza, but the military has cast sweeping doubt on the identity of those interviewed and the credibility of the claims.
In the official IDF response, the spokesman clarified that "the film is based on anonymous testimonies from individuals whose identity cannot be verified, including whether they served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether they were involved in the matters about which the claims are made." The military emphasized that "the quoted segments include claims relating to national and military strategy that clearly exceed the knowledge base of junior-ranking soldiers, alongside references to cases in which intelligence corps soldiers would not have been involved by the very definition of their role."
The IDF also flatly rejected claims regarding the use of advanced technology in warfare, clarifying that "decisions regarding target selection and strike approval in the IDF are made solely by human actors, in accordance with military procedures, and not by artificial intelligence." The military further noted that it is obligated to investigate any suspicion of legal violations through independent enforcement mechanisms, and that the duty to report applies to the film's participants as well.
The spokesman's statement comes after the premiere screening of NAZA over the weekend received a warm embrace from the European audience. At the conclusion of the screening, the film was met with applause lasting approximately 24 minutes, the longest standing ovation in Venice Film Festival history, accompanied by the waving of Palestinian flags in the auditorium.
The film thereby broke the record set last year by "The Voice of Hind Rajab," which also dealt with combat in Gaza and reached 22 minutes of applause.
