Frequently asked questions

NAZA is a 2026 Israeli documentary film written and directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. It is 80 minutes long, in Hebrew and English. Shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv, it looks at Israeli military intelligence software. It premiered in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on 10 September 2026 and won the Special Jury Prize.

Shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, the film reveals in detail the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of terrorists in Gaza. It looks at Israeli military intelligence software through 24 anonymised interviews with military and intelligence insiders.

NAZA runs 80 minutes (1 hour 20 minutes).

Hebrew and English. It is an Israeli documentary.

Interviews were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv over about three years. Subjects are shown in obscured profile; voices are modified.

Twenty-four anonymised Israeli military and intelligence insiders. Directors say most were intelligence officers working remotely.

No. Faces are hidden by night and framing; voices are altered. Yuval Abraham told Israeli Channel 13 that identities and the cases discussed were verified with The Guardian’s editors, who had access to raw material.

It builds on investigations published between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call (שיחה מקומית), and The Guardian.

No. It is a separate film. Abraham and Szor were two of the four co-directors of No Other Land (2024), which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The other two co-directors of that film, Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, are not credited on NAZA.

No. NAZA is an Israeli documentary directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The Guardian and JW Films are listed among the production companies, in association with Placeholder Films and Unseen Hand.

IMDb title tt44766123: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt44766123/. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAZA_(film). Wikidata: Q141168534.

NAZA is a Hebrew military acronym from nezek agavi (נזק אגבי), “collateral damage.” The film’s producers say Israeli intelligence uses it for the number of civilians expected to die in an airstrike. Example used in coverage: “4 NAZA” means four expected civilian deaths beside a target.

Nezek agavi (נזק אגבי) is Hebrew for collateral damage. In the film, NAZA is the acronym built from that phrase. It is the title because, the directors write, the term is how civilian deaths are counted before a strike.

Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor wrote and directed the film. Szor also shot it. Abraham is a filmmaker and investigative journalist; Szor is a filmmaker and cinematographer. Both are Israeli.

Producers: Harry Davies, Lindsay Poulton, and James Wilson. Production companies: The Guardian and JW Films, in association with Placeholder Films and Unseen Hand. World sales: MK2 Films.

Yes. Jonathan Glazer is an executive producer. Glazer and James Wilson previously made The Zone of Interest, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2024. Other executive producers include Paul Lewis and Nicole Jackson for The Guardian.

World premiere: 10 September 2026, 83rd Venice International Film Festival, main competition, Sala Grande. It was the only documentary in competition that year.

Venice announced the film on 24 August 2026, after the July lineup. Directors said they were still finishing a three-year shoot and edit. Festival statements also cited safety considerations around the screening.

Trade press reported a record ovation of about 24.5 to 25 minutes at the 10 September 2026 premiere — the longest standing ovation in Venice Film Festival history, ahead of The Voice of Hind Rajab (22 minutes, 2025).

Yes. On 12 September 2026 it won the Special Jury Prize. It was nominated for the Golden Lion. Collateral awards reported: Edipo Re Award, Green Drop Award, Leoncino d’Oro (UNICEF mention), and Sorriso Diverso Venezia — Best Director Under 35.

Yes. North American premiere is in the Main Slate of the 64th New York Film Festival (25 September–12 October 2026), presented by Film at Lincoln Center.

Yes. It was added to the Perlak section of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival (18–26 September 2026).

As of 12 September 2026, Rotten Tomatoes listed 100% from 16 reviews (average 9/10). Metacritic listed a weighted score of 96/100 from 13 critics (“universal acclaim”). IMDb user rating at the same period sat much lower than the critic scores.

NAZA is on the 2026 festival circuit: Venice (world premiere, 10 September), San Sebastián Perlak (18–26 September), and the New York Film Festival Main Slate (25 September–12 October). No wide theatrical or streaming date has been announced. World sales: MK2 Films.

No public streaming release has been announced as of 16 September 2026. It is not listed as a Netflix original. Watch via festival tickets until a distributor names a consumer window.

No official public trailer has been issued as of 16 September 2026. Stills and press materials have been released by The Guardian and MK2 Films.

No Israeli theatrical date is set. On 14 September 2026 Yuval Abraham told Channel 13 he is working to screen it in Israel and hopes to return there.

MK2 Films handles world sales. Festival and theatrical booking goes through MK2, not this site. Production is The Guardian and JW Films.

The Israel Defense Forces said it “categorically rejects” the film’s allegations. It argued anonymous testimonies “cannot be verified,” and restated that it strikes military targets and works to limit civilian harm. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir raised possible legal action and called the accusations grave and false.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar called the film treason and said he would seek to revoke the directors’ citizenship. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Venice reception “shocking” and tied it to antisemitic incitement. Those statements are part of the public record around the release.

Yes. In September 2026 more than 200 Israeli filmmakers signed a petition backing Abraham and Szor, including Ari Folman, Shlomi Elkabetz, Ran Tal, and Michal Aviad. The petition said art and journalism should hold a mirror to the society they come from.