Entertainment

Venice Film Festival adds Gaza documentary Naza to main competition

Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the film is the only feature documentary competing for the Golden Lion at the 83rd festival.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 11:42 UTC2 reports

The short version

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival has made a last-minute addition to its competition lineup by selecting the documentary "Naza."
The film, which focuses on Israeli military intelligence and actions in Gaza, is the only documentary in the competition section this year.
It is scheduled to make its world premiere at the festival on September 10, ahead of the Golden Lion awards ceremony on September 12.

The Venice Film Festival added the documentary "Naza" as a last-minute inclusion to its official competition lineup for the upcoming 83rd festival, which runs from September 2 to 12.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
The documentary is directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the co-directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land."[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
The producers claim the film details the systems behind Israel's mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, building on investigative reporting published by the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]
The film's title, "Naza," refers to a military acronym used euphemistically by Israeli intelligence to denote the anticipated number of civilian deaths in an airstrike.[The Hollywood Reporter]
"Naza" is produced by the Guardian and James Wilson of JW Films, with filmmaker Jonathan Glazer serving as an executive producer.[Variety · The Hollywood Reporter]