Speaking up for Gaza
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to strip citizenship from two Israeli directors who made an acclaimed documentary detailing atrocities in Gaza. Also, McLamore is back.
What is the new documentary “NASA” and why has it sparked controversy?
What do these things have in common? Well, boycotts and protests of pro-Israel Israeli artists, Israel critical Israeli artists, non-Israeli artists who are pro or anti-Israel artists who don't want to say anything about Israel at all, and artists who just wanted to say
free Palestine.
Are leading to cycles of cancellation, retribution, and resignation. So, is any of this helping people in Gaza? Is that even the point? We're gonna ask coming up on Today Explained from Vox.
This is today explained.
I'm Noelle King. Most people haven't had a chance yet to see the documentary NASA, but Bilga Iberi did at the Venice Film Festival, where the filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Jor got a 25-minute standing ovation.
NASA is a very grim documentary in which one of the directors, Yuval Abraham, sits on various rooftops in Tel Aviv and interviews 24 different Israeli intelligence agents and soldiers about some of the things they did uh during the Gaza War. And most of what they talk about are the different systems they used to effectively uh Дистрой хомс абилдинс ін Газа.
And lord there's come in a go key following with kimadse.
The the term NASA refers to collateral damage. It's a collateral damage figure. And so for example, uh when they say something has four NASA, that means there are four other people killed besides the main target, uh, in a bombing. Uh so at at various points different different interviewees talk about 5 Naza, 10 Naza, 20 Naza, 200 Naza. Now, all the different interviewees, they're all their high identities are hidden. They're kind of covered by night because it's all shot in night, it's all shadow, it's a very dark, dark, like visually dark movie. So we don't get their names, we don't see their faces, and we've also been told that their voices have been modified. You know, some of them are very regretful.
Some of them talk about how they kind of got into this, uh, how they felt doing it, how they Felt afterwards. One of them talks about how when he was younger he went to Poland to learn more about the Holocaust. And, you know, he was kind of obviously knew about the Nazis, but was kind of appalled at what he what he saw. And then even at one point says, you know, I still think the Nazis are pure evil. What does that make me? Another one agrees that it's a genocide. While we see these interviews, there are also cutaways to buildings in Tel Aviv. This is kind of a very calm place, and Gaza, which is not that far away, has been you know basically completely obliterated. And there's kind of a contrast being presented in this.
A couple of people talk about how this this notion that Hamas uses human shields, which is a way of saying, well, you know, d there are homes where there's also military operations happening. Obviously, the implication is that that's a human shield. At the same time you know, the film makes the point. Tel Aviv is also where the Israeli military is headquartered. And in fact at one point among all these homes that we see in Tel Aviv, we see uh what appears to be a military boardroom with soldiers and fatigues inside it. So Why is that not considered a human shield? That's kind of the question they're almost asking. You know, so it's there's a there's a certain sort of exposing of the hypocrisy behind that statement as well.
I saw your review in New York magazine, like a lot of people. The headline called this one of the most important films of our time. Um, I don't think of you as an exaggerator. Tell me what you meant by that.
I think Naza is one of the most important films of the of our time, not just because of what it exposes, although what it exposes is extremely important. And even though it's not graphic really at all, except for one brief section at the end when we do see Gaza, and I think that that moment is very important, um
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:16
2
What is the new documentary “NASA” and why has it sparked controversy?
0:16–7:00
3
How does the film portray Israeli intelligence agents and the concept of “NASA” (collateral damage)?
7:00–13:28
4
Why do the filmmakers hide interviewees’ identities and use visual darkness?
13:28–25:16