The Hamptons International Film Festival has rewritten its description of the anti-Israel documentary "NAZA," added films about Israeli victims of October 7, and scheduled a panel with other perspectives, after local Jewish institutions objected to the way the festival was promoting the film.
The festival's guide had told audiences that the film reveals the systems behind "Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza." The wording now says the film's "depiction of events has caused controversy, drawn criticism, and generated intense public debate."
The change followed a letter sent on September 23 by the board of Temple Adas Israel, a synagogue in Sag Harbor. The board said it would prefer the film not be shown but added, "we fully support your right to screen it." Its objection was to the festival's description, which it said presented an inflammatory accusation as fact when it is the filmmakers' conclusion and is fiercely disputed. It asked the festival to tell audiences, on screen and in writing, that the film makes serious and deeply contested allegations.
The Jewish Center of the Hamptons went further and asked the festival to withdraw the film. In an open letter published as a full-page newspaper advertisement, it said the film rests entirely on 24 anonymous sources, with faces and voices altered, whose claims cannot be verified by the festival, its jury or its audience.
The festival refused to cancel. Board co-chairman Randy Mastro said it would again screen documentaries that are controversial and even provocative, alongside a program with diverse viewpoints. That program now includes "The Choice," about Israeli families grieving after the October 7 attacks, and an encore of "Holding Liat," about a hostage couple and their families. A Sunday panel on media depictions of the conflict features urban warfare expert John Spencer, journalist Richard Behar and Libby Lenkinski of the fund that produced "Holding Liat." The Jewish Center noted that the makers of "NAZA" will not appear on the panel.
"NAZA," named for the Hebrew military acronym for collateral damage, was directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the team behind "No Other Land." It alleges that Israel systematically targeted Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The IDF has denied the claim, the military's chief has said the film is "based on blood libels," and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it slanders IDF soldiers.
The first screening went ahead on Saturday at the Sag Harbor Cinema, where the group East End Jews for Israel held a rally. Police added officers along Main Street, and both the screening and the protest ended peacefully with no arrests. A second screening is scheduled for October 9 in East Hampton.
