'NAZA', a documentary directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, was added to the main competition lineup of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, set to run from September 2 to 12, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. It is the only documentary among the 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion prize at Venice [1].
The film examines Israeli military actions in Gaza, focusing on what the directors describe as "Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians" [1, 2, 3, 4]. Abraham and Szor said, "Shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, the film reveals in detail the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza" [2]. The term "NAZA" is an Israeli military acronym used by intelligence to euphemistically indicate the expected number of civilian casualties in an airstrike [2, 3, 4].
Produced by Britain's Guardian newspaper and James Wilson, with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer, the documentary builds on investigative reporting carried out between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian [1, 2, 3, 4].
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor are also two of the four co-directors of "No Other Land," a documentary about Palestinian communities in the West Bank that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2025 [1, 2, 3, 4]. In 2024, that film won the Documentary Award at Berlinale [4].
The backdrop of the documentary is Israel’s 2023 military campaign against Gaza, launched in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel. Palestinian health authorities report that more than 73,000 Palestinians have died since the conflict began, while Israeli tallies cite about 1,200 Israeli deaths from the Hamas attack [1].
Last year, a Gaza documentary titled "The Voice of Hind Rajab" received a 23-minute standing ovation at Venice and won second prize. Israeli authorities have since opened a criminal investigation into Hind Rajab’s death [1].
"NAZA" is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 2026 [1].
