Gaza Documentary Naza Receives Record-Breaking 25-Minute Ovation at Venice Film Festival
The documentary uses testimony from Israeli intelligence and military personnel and drew a 25-minute ovation, the longest ever recorded at Venice.
- On Thursday, directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor premiered their documentary NAZA at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, where it received a record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation.
- Filmed in secret over three years in Tel Aviv, the 80-minute documentary features interviews with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers discussing AI-assisted targeting systems used during the Gaza war.
- Derived from a military acronym for expected civilian casualties, NAZA surpassed the 24-minute standing ovation record set last year by The Voice of Hind Rajab, becoming Venice's most applauded film.
- During the ovation, audience members unfurled Palestinian and Lebanese flags as executive producer Jonathan Glazer embraced the directors on stage, with Abraham calling for Western governments to use sanctions supporting human rights.
- With the Golden Lion winner announcement set for Saturday, NAZA remains a serious contender before screenings at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival later this month.
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Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor's documentary on the civilian victims of the war in Gaza surpasses the previous record of the Exhibition, established in 2025 by “The Voice of Hind Rajab”. Among the audience was Ghali, who filmed and shared the endless standing ovation: “Everyone should see it.” READ THE ARTICLE
Gaza documentary ‘NAZA’ wows Venice and breaks standing ovation record
'NAZA', the new documentary by 'No Other Land' filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, earned a record-breaking 24.5-minute standing ovation following its premiere – the longest-ever ovation recorded at the Venice Film Festival.
Gaza documentary 'NAZA' gets record 25 minute standing ovation at Venice premiere
'NAZA' reunites Abraham and Szor after they worked on the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' alongside Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. The filmmakers stood together during the ovation.
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