NAZA: Film exposing systematic killing in Gaza gets record 24-minute standing ovation at Venice

What Happened

At the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, NAZA, a documentary directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a 24-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at its world premiere, according to Variety, which reported it as the longest at Venice. The film, produced by the Guardian and James Wilson’s JW Films and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, is the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion at this year’s festival. It was filmed secretly at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv and features interviews with 24 Israeli soldiers, most of them military intelligence officers, who describe the systems behind what the filmmakers call a premeditated, calculated, and intentional mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The title NAZA refers to a Hebrew military acronym for 'collateral damage' and, according to the filmmakers, obscures the military's advance knowledge of likely civilian deaths.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The documentary draws mainstream film-festival attention to Israeli military procedures in Gaza through first-hand accounts from Israeli military intelligence personnel, potentially influencing international public and legal discourse on allegations of systematic killing. Its record ovation and competition for the Golden Lion give cultural prominence to claims about the bureaucratic and calculated nature of civilian deaths in Gaza, which could intersect with ongoing ICJ and ICC proceedings, even though the film's conclusions remain attributed allegations rather than established legal findings.

Watch For

Monitor whether NAZA wins the Golden Lion at Venice and any distribution deals or streaming release that broaden its audience. Watch for reactions from the Israeli government, IDF, and military intelligence community, as well as any legal or investigative bodies that cite the soldiers' testimonies. Also track further reporting by +972 Magazine and the Guardian on the film's claims and any new documentary projects from Abraham and Szor.