‘NAZA’ Gets 25 Minute Venice Ovation Setting New Record

Key Points:

• Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary NAZA premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a record-breaking 25-minute ovation, the longest ever at a major festival, surpassing previous records set by The Voice Of Hind Rajab and Pan’s Labyrinth.
• The film exposes the Israeli military’s calculated targeting of civilians in Gaza through interviews with 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers, revealing the use of AI, phone surveillance, and points-based systems to select targets, often resulting in civilian casualties.
• Audience members displayed Palestinian and Lebanese flags during the screening, highlighting ongoing controversies over the recognition of Palestine at the festival, where the Palestinian flag is not officially flown due to Italy’s non-recognition of Palestine as a state.
• NAZA builds on the directors’ previous Oscar-winning work, No Other Land, and focuses on the Israeli military’s practice of targeting family homes in Gaza, with the title referring to an acronym for estimating civilian death tolls ahead of strikes.
• Produced by Guardian Documentaries and JW Films, with sales handled by Mk2, NAZA has received strong early critical acclaim and was warmly embraced by festival director Alberto Barbera at the premiere.