‘NAZA’, the Gaza documentary from Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is set for a major international release following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The Guardian-produced documentary will be released theatrically across 56 territories from September 28 before becoming available to watch for free worldwide on the Guardian’s website.
The film premiered at Venice on September 10, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation and later won the festival’s Special Jury Prize. It was the only documentary in competition for the Golden Lion at this year’s festival.
Following Venice, ‘NAZA’ has also screened at festivals in Bologna and San Sebastián, with its North American premiere scheduled at the New York Film Festival on September 26.
Directed by Abraham and Szor, ‘NAZA’ examines the systems behind Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The documentary is based partly on investigative reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by the Guardian, +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.
The film features interviews with 24 members of the Israeli intelligence and military establishment, who spoke anonymously. These conversations were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv and focus on the systems and practices used in military targeting and surveillance. The title ‘NAZA’ refers to a military acronym that, according to the filmmakers and the Guardian, indicates the expected number of civilian deaths from an airstrike.
Abraham and Szor have said they made the documentary to examine these systems from their position as Israeli filmmakers. The film therefore combines investigative journalism with a cinematic approach, using testimony from military insiders alongside the reporting that originally brought several of these practices to public attention.
The Guardian and international distributor MK2 Films have secured theatrical distributors for ‘NAZA’ in 56 territories. The rollout includes the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand, Hong Kong and several other territories across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
In the United States, the documentary will open exclusively at New York’s IFC Center on September 30 after its New York Film Festival premiere. It will expand to Los Angeles and other major markets from October 9 before receiving a wider national rollout in the following weeks.
The Guardian has also offered the film to distributors and cinemas in Israel and said it is exploring other ways for audiences in the occupied Palestinian territories to access the documentary.
The most unusual part of the film’s distribution plan will come after its theatrical run. The Guardian plans to make ‘NAZA’ available to audiences around the world for free on theguardian.com.
According to the Guardian, the online release is part of its commitment to making independent journalism accessible to a wider audience. Harry Davies, a Guardian investigations correspondent and one of the film’s producers, said the documentary is grounded in several years of investigative reporting while also being made as a cinematic work.
An exact date for the free online release has not yet been announced.
Abraham and Szor are two of the four Israeli filmmakers behind No Other Land, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2025 alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.
‘NAZA’ is produced by the Guardian and James Wilson of JW Films, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Glazer serving as an executive producer. Glazer and Wilson previously worked together on The Zone of Interest.
The documentary has also generated strong reactions in Israel. Following its Venice premiere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior figures called for action against the filmmakers, including calls to revoke their citizenship. The Guardian has also reported protests and death threats directed at Abraham and Szor.
At the same time, Israeli filmmakers and human rights organisations have publicly expressed support for the directors and their work.
With its Venice Special Jury Prize, theatrical release across 56 territories and planned free global streaming, ‘NAZA’ is set to reach audiences through both cinemas and online platforms. The documentary’s theatrical rollout begins on September 28, with the Guardian’s free worldwide release planned to follow.
