Venice Adds New Gaza Doc to Competition Lineup

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival has included "Naza," a documentary about Gaza, in its official list of competitive films. Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, this is the sole documentary vying for the prestigious Golden Lion award at this year's festival, running from September 2nd to the 12th. The film is set to make its global debut on September 10th.

Abraham and Szor are among the four directors of "No Other Land," a documentary about the demolition of a Palestinian community in the West Bank, which earned the 2025 Oscar for best documentary. This new film is produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, with executive production by Jonathan Glazer, individuals who previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning international film "The Zone of Interest."

According to festival-provided synopsis, "Naza" is a nighttime rooftop documentary in Tel Aviv that exposes the intricate mechanisms behind Israel's systematic mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. "Naza" will join other competing films such as Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine" with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard" starring Rooney and Kate Mara, Florian Zeller's "Bunker" featuring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, Lance Oppenheim's "Primetime" with Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, and Casey Affleck's "Company" with Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn.

The festival opens with "Ink," a newspaper drama directed by Danny Boyle and starring Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy. This year's Venice jury, headed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, includes Kaouther Ben Hania and Daniel Blumberg. While "Naza" is making a splash in the competition category, Alex Gibney's four-hour exposé on the controversial entrepreneur behind SpaceX and Tesla, titled "Musk," will be showcased out of competition.