E-Paper
NAZA, Israeli film about mass killings of Palestinians in Gaza, gets record 25-minute ovation at Venice Film Festival
NAZA is a documentary from Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
Prefer HTon Google
It was The Voice of Hind Rajab last year, and NAZA this edition. The documentary, from Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, about mass killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, received an overwhelmingly positive response upon its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday.
25-minute standing ovation for NAZA
AFP reported that the film received a 25-minute ovation at the premiere, believed to be a record for the festival. The audience clapped continuously for the directing pair after the screening, beating the 23-minute ovation given last year for The Voice of Hind Rajab, a docu-drama about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces.
Earlier, on the red carpet, as the two filmmakers made their way to the auditorium, there were shouts of "Free Palestine!" and "Free Israel!" from onlookers. The film is being considered a frontrunner for the top prize at the festival. Last year, too, the evident enthusiasm for The Voice of Hind Rajab made it a favourite for Venice's best film award. But it went on to win the second prize, with reports of a split in the jury.
For long, the length of standing ovations has been considered the benchmark for measuring a film's response at the major film festivals around the world. AFP reported that, even though ovations can be easily manipulated, they do indicate the impact on festival-goers and critics.
All about NAZA
Twenty-four Israeli military insiders, including intelligence officers and soldiers, give insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians for the film. NAZA was shot in secret on rooftops in Tel Aviv across three years, and its subjects' identities are obscured, with digital alterations of their voices and appearances.
At the press conference in Venice on Thursday, Abraham said, “We just told these officers and soldiers, please describe to us what you did. Of course, there were other questions that arose, but the principal question was a question of detail - sketch it for us, we want to know how it worked. And sometimes just asking the question, you get answers.”
The film's title references an Israeli military acronym used as a shorthand for civilian casualties, including men, women and children. NAZA builds on reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by the Israeli-Palestinian 972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, and The Guardian. Szor spoke about the purpose of making a film with information that has already been reported and published.
(With agencies' inputs)
