Shafaq News- Venice
Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor premiered their documentary "NAZA" at the Venice Film Festival, presenting testimony from Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers about the military's conduct in the Gaza war.
The film, which was shown on Thursday, draws on interviews with 24 military insiders who describe the systematic killing of Palestinian civilians, according to the filmmakers.
The documentary was shot in secret over three years on rooftops in Tel Aviv, and the identities of its subjects are concealed through digital alteration of their voices and appearances, according to the filmmakers. Its title refers to an Israeli military acronym used as shorthand for civilian casualties, including men, women, and children.
The subjects describe surveillance and remote bombing that they say rely on artificial intelligence to identify suspected members of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group Israel has been fighting in Gaza, and to strike their homes at times when families are known to be inside, according to the filmmakers' account of the testimony.
"NAZA" is the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion, the festival's top award. It was produced by The Guardian and James Wilson of JW Films and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, the Oscar-winning team behind “The Zone of Interest,” and it builds on reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by the Israeli-Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language site Local Call, and The Guardian.
Abraham said the film was meant to document how the killing was carried out rather than to examine the motives of those who took part. "I think our film is showing that this is not some mistake. It's not an accident. It's something very, very systemic," he said.
The testimonies carry added weight, Szor said, because they come from the people who built and operated the systems. "It's different to hear, actually, the people who designed and operated those systems talk about it in front of a camera," she said. Wilson, addressing accusations of antisemitism sometimes directed at works critical of the Israeli government, said he saw no connection between Jewish identity and the policies of the Israeli government.
Abraham and Szor were among four directors of "No Other Land," which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2025 and followed Palestinian activists resisting the demolition of their communities by the Israeli military.
The war in Gaza began in October 2023 and has killed at least 73,669 Palestinians, with at least 30,000 being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry,
The festival's awards, chosen by a jury led by actor and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, are scheduled to be announced on Saturday, September 12.
#BiennaleCinema2026 Announced at the last minute, it took everyone by surprise – and now #NAZA is here. A powerful true story courageously captured by @yuval_abraham and #RachelSzor, hitting the #Venezia83 Red Carpet before heading into the Sala Grande. And if you’re a true… pic.twitter.com/g8mcdQChoV
— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) September 10, 2026
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