Venice Film Festival Adds Gaza Documentary 'NAZA' to Main Competition

The Venice Film Festival has expanded its main competition lineup with a new documentary focusing on the civilian toll of the Israel-Hamas war. Titled "NAZA," the film is co-directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, both of whom were part of the team behind the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land." Festival organizers announced the addition on Monday.

According to the official synopsis, "NAZA" was shot at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv and centers on the killings of Palestinian civilians. The film is produced by The Guardian and the production team behind "The Zone of Interest." It is the only documentary in the running for the Golden Lion, the festival's top prize.

Abraham and Szor were two of the four directors of "No Other Land," which won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. That film chronicled Palestinian activists resisting home demolitions by the Israeli military. A joint Israeli-Palestinian effort, it was shot over four years, from 2019 to 2023, and completed just days before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the current war.

"NAZA" builds on investigative reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian. The war has been a recurring theme at recent Venice festivals. Last year, a large pro-Palestinian protest took place during one of the busiest nights, and the program included Kaouther Ben Hania's "The Voice of Hind Rajab," about a six-year-old girl killed while fleeing Gaza City, which won the Silver Lion.

Ben Hania is now part of the jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal that will decide this year's awards. The festival runs from September 2 to September 12. Earlier in 2025, the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition opened without any Golden Lions after its jury resigned in protest over Israel's and Russia's participation, and in 2024 the Israeli pavilion remained closed until a ceasefire was reached.