Abraham and Szor's 'NAZA' Premieres at Venice, Only Documentary in Golden Lion Race
Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor bring 'NAZA', a documentary on Palestinian civilian deaths, to the Venice Film Festival's main competition.
"NAZA", a documentary about the civilian toll of the Israel-Hamas war, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, becoming the only non-fiction title in contention for the event's top prize, the Golden Lion.
The film is co-directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land". That earlier work, a collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, followed Palestinian activists resisting the demolition of their communities by the Israeli military and was shot over four years between 2019 and 2023, finishing days before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
According to its synopsis, "NAZA" was filmed at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv and centres on the killings of Palestinian civilians. It draws on reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by the Israeli-Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language publication Local Call and The Guardian, which also produced the film alongside the filmmakers behind "The Zone of Interest".
The festival announced "NAZA" as a late addition to its lineup on August 24.
Venice has again become a stage for debate over the war. At last year's edition, thousands joined a large pro-Palestinian demonstration on one of the busiest nights of the festival, seeking to shift attention from celebrities to events on the ground. The conflict also shaped the programme: Kaouther Ben Hania's "The Voice of Hind Rajab", about the death of a six-year-old girl trying to flee Gaza City with her family in early 2024, took the Silver Lion.
Ben Hania now sits on the jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal that will decide this year's winners, to be announced on September 12. Unlike last year, no large-scale protests are planned, though the group Venice4Palestine has urged the festival to suspend all agreements with entities and institutions tied to the Israeli government and to fly the Palestinian flag throughout the event.