Israeli Documentary on Gaza Operations Wins Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival

The 83rd Venice Film Festival concluded on September 12th with the awards ceremony, where the documentary "NAZA" by Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore received the Special Jury Prize. "NAZA" was the sole documentary among 21 films competing for the Golden Lion this year. Abraham and Shore were previously part of the team behind "No Other Land," which won an Oscar for best documentary in 2025. Although "NAZA" is formally a British production, released by The Guardian and JW Films with producer James Wilson and executive producer Jonathan Glazer, its subject matter is the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. The 80-minute film features anonymous interviews with Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers, presenting testimonies from 24 individuals who served in military and intelligence units. Some interviews were recorded at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv. The film's title, "NAZA," derives from the Israeli security forces' abbreviation for "collateral damage," referring to the estimated number of civilians who might be killed when targeting terrorists. The film draws on investigations published by +972 Magazine, Sicha Mekomit, and The Guardian between 2023 and 2025. Premiering at Venice on September 10th, "NAZA" became one of the festival's most discussed films, with an approximately 25-minute standing ovation from the audience, noted by Variety as a festival record and by the Associated Press as longer than the ovation for "The Voice of Hind Rajab" the previous year. Prior to the main competition results, "NAZA" also secured the Green Drop Award for its focus on sustainability, peace, and international cooperation, sharing it with the Italian film "L'estranea." Abraham and Shore also received the Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for best directing by filmmakers under 35, and the youth jury awarded "NAZA" the Cinema for UNICEF distinction, citing its use of interviews and the contrast between Tel Aviv life and depicted destruction. The Golden Lion was awarded to "Woman Unknown" by Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukh, and Matilda Arcel won Best Actress for her role in it. John Malkovich was named Best Actor for "Wild Horse Nine," while "Possible Love" by Lee Chang-dong took the Grand Jury Prize (Silver Lion), and Ilya Khrzhanovsky received the directing award for his DAU project.