Venice Film Festival adds Gaza doc ‘NAZA’ to competition lineup

The Venice Film Festival has included a documentary focusing on the Israeli-Hamas war's impact on Palestinian civilians in its main competition lineup. Titled "NAZA," the film was directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land." "NAZA" was shot on Tel Aviv rooftops at night, capturing the killings of Palestinian civilians.

Produced by The Guardian and directed by the Oscar-winning duo, it is the only documentary competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award. The film draws on reporting by +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call and The Guardian, covering the period between 2023 and 2025. The war was a prominent topic at the previous year's festival, with a large pro-Palestinian protest taking place during a busy night to draw attention away from the movie stars and towards the real world situation.