Israeli filmmakers’ Gaza documentary ‘NAZA’ gets 24-minute standing ovation at Venice

Israeli filmmakers’ documentary on Gaza received a 24-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

‘NAZA’, the documentary feature by Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received the ovation after its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Thursday, September 10.

The documentary draws on investigative reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, Local Call and The Guardian. It was shot in secret on rooftops in Tel Aviv across three years and its subjects’ identities are obscured, with digital alterations of their voices and appearances.

Abraham and Szor spoke to 24 different Israeli military and intelligence whistleblowers, who spoke on condition of anonymity.