Documentary about killing of civilians in Gaza to premiere at Venice Film Festival
'NAZA,' directed by Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, explores alleged 'systems behind Israel's calculated mass killing'; based on reporting some of which has been challenged by IDF
ROME — A documentary examining Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza was added to the Venice Film Festival line-up on Monday, the second year running that a highly charged work about the conflict has competed for the prestigious Golden Lion.
Festival organizers said “NAZA,” directed by the Israeli duo Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, will join the main program for the September 2 to 12 event — the only documentary among this year’s 21 contenders.
Last year, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which tells the harrowing story of the final hours of a Gazan girl trapped in a car under Israeli fire, won second prize at Venice after earning a record 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere.
According to a synopsis released by the festival, “NAZA” was shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv and “reveals in detail the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
It is based on reporting that appeared in the Israeli left-wing activist outlets +972 Magazine and Local Call, and the UK’s Guardian, at least some of which has been challenged by the Israel Defense Forces.
“Naza” is a reference to a Hebrew acronym for collateral damage, used by the military.
Israel says that it tried to avoid killing civilians during its operations in Gaza, which targeted Hamas after the terror group that rules the Strip led a devastating assault on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 abducted to Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas of embedding its operatives and military infrastructure among the civilian population, a claim that Hamas denies.
Israel also rejects all accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Abraham and Szor were two of the four co-directors of “No Other Land,” which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2025. The film chronicled the destruction of a Palestinian community in the West Bank amid the expansion of Jewish settlements.
“NAZA” was produced by Britain’s Guardian newspaper and James Wilson, and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, the Oscar-winning director of the 2023 Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest.” Its name is a reference to a Hebrew acronym for collateral damage, used by the military.
Wilson and Glazer were also producer and executive producer respectively on “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Israeli authorities last week opened a criminal investigation into the girl’s death.
“NAZA” will premiere in Venice on September 10. The film joins a high-profile field that includes new works from Martin McDonagh, Florian Zeller, Danny Boyle, Werner Herzog and Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.