If last year’s Venice Film Festival drew attention to The Voice of Hind Rajab, this year’s edition has turned its focus to NAZA, a documentary about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Directed by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the documentary received a strong response after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday.
According to AFP, NAZA received a 25-minute standing ovation after the screening, reportedly setting a new record at the festival.
The applause continued as the audience responded to the directing duo, surpassing the 23-minute ovation received by The Voice of Hind Rajab last year.
The Voice of Hind Rajab tells the story of the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces.
The film was considered a strong contender for Venice’s top prize last year after receiving an enthusiastic response, but it ultimately won the festival’s second prize amid reports of divisions among the jury.
Before the NAZA screening, Abraham and Szor walked the red carpet as spectators chanted both “Free Palestine!” and “Free Israel!” The film’s reception has since placed it among the frontrunners for Venice’s top prize.
Standing ovations have long been viewed as an indicator of a film’s reception at major international festivals.
AFP noted that while such responses can be influenced or manipulated, they can still provide an indication of the impact a film has on audiences and critics.
NAZA features testimonies from 24 Israeli military insiders, including intelligence officers and soldiers.
They describe their experiences during the war in Gaza and make allegations of the systematic killing of Palestinian civilians.
The filmmakers secretly shot the documentary over three years from rooftops across Tel Aviv. The identities of those interviewed have been concealed by digitally altering their voices and appearances.
Speaking at a press conference in Venice on Thursday, Abraham said the filmmakers mainly asked the Israeli officers and soldiers to explain in detail what they had done.
“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,” he said. “And sometimes just asking the question, you get answers.”
The title NAZA refers to an Israeli military acronym used as shorthand for civilian casualties, including men, women and children.
The documentary builds on investigations published between 2023 and 2025 by the Israeli-Palestinian magazine 972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and The Guardian.
At the Venice press conference, Szor also addressed the filmmakers’ decision to make a documentary from information that had already been reported and published.
