AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The release of the documentary "No Other Land" and its success at the Venice Film Festival has become a new rift in the cultural and political circles of the Zionist regime; on the one hand, regime officials have accused the filmmakers of "treason" and threatened to take action against them, and on the other hand, more than a thousand Israeli filmmakers and cultural activists have signed a petition defending freedom of expression and the creators of this work.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that more than a thousand Israeli filmmakers, including a number of well-known figures in cinema and culture, have signed this petition in support of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the directors of the documentary "No Other Land."
Among the signatories of this petition are the names of filmmakers and directors such as Liran Atzmor, Nadav Lapid, Orna Ben Dor, Netalie Braun, Rani Blair, Hagai Levi, Shai Carmeli-Pollak, and Shlomi Elkabetz.
Filmmakers' Protest Against the Threat to the Directors
The signatories of the petition, referring to the increase in attacks against the filmmakers, warned about what they called an "unprecedented campaign of incitement and threats" against them and emphasized that the distance between this rhetoric and real threats against the lives of the filmmakers is shrinking.
The petition states that art and journalism should be able to present an image of the society in which they were formed and provide the ground for dialogue and debate even on difficult and painful issues.
The filmmakers also criticized cultural, academic, and media figures who attacked the film without watching it and warned that the spread of violent rhetoric against the creators of a work of art should be a cause for concern in society.
Threat of Revoking Citizenship
This reaction came after Miki Zohar, the Culture Minister of the Zionist regime, on Monday accused the creators of "No Other Land" of "treason" and threatened them with revocation of citizenship.
At the same time, discussions continue in official and political circles of the Zionist regime about how to deal with the international repercussions of this film; a film that, according to its creators, presents a different picture of the Gaza war and the performance of the regime's army.
The signatories of the petition expressed hope that "No Other Land" will be screened in the occupied territories as soon as possible so that people can see the film and enter a public discussion about the Gaza war and its consequences; a discussion that, according to them, has not yet seriously taken shape in the Israeli media and society.
The Narrative of 24 Soldiers About the Army's Performance
"No Other Land" is a documentary filmed secretly over three years. According to information published about this work, the film includes conversations with 24 male and female soldiers from Unit 8200 of the Zionist regime's military intelligence.
The identity and faces of some individuals in the film have been altered to protect their security. In the film, these individuals provide narratives about the Zionist regime army's performance in Gaza, the use of the concept of "collateral damage," and how individuals and various areas were targeted.
In part of the film, it is also claimed that some forces of Unit 8200 used artificial intelligence to identify potential targets of the Hamas movement based on eavesdropping on telephone communications; a claim that, according to the account of individuals in the documentary, in some cases even endangered the family members of the targeted individuals.
Some other individuals in the film have also claimed that they witnessed the burning of residential areas used by the people of Gaza as shelters and the killing of people during food distribution.
"No Other Land" Won an Award in Venice
This documentary on Saturday won the "Special Jury Prize" at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival; a success that, along with sharp reactions inside the occupied territories, has also drawn the attention of international media.
Overall, the support of more than a thousand filmmakers for the creators of this film against the threats of Zionist regime officials is a sign of the escalation of internal disputes over how to narrate the Gaza war and its consequences in the cultural and media atmosphere of this regime.
**************
End/ 345E
