Gaza War Documentary 'N.A.Z.A.' Tops Italian Box Office

The controversial Israeli documentary 'N.A.Z.A.', which focuses on the war in Gaza, has surged to the top of the Italian box office, surpassing even the re-release of 'Avengers: Endgame'. The film, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor, grossed over $1.2 million in its first two days in Italy, significantly outperforming 'Avengers: Endgame' which earned $404,000 in the same period. Initially planned as a three-day cinematic event in Italy, the high demand for tickets led to an extension of its run.

'N.A.Z.A.', an acronym representing the number of innocent Palestinians expected to be killed in an attack, explores the systems behind what the filmmakers describe as the calculated mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel. The documentary received a lengthy 24-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, where it won a special jury prize. It also garnered positive reception in the United States at the New York Film Festival, though a pro-Israel demonstration was held concurrently.

The film, produced by The Guardian, is based on investigative reports published by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian between 2023 and 2025. It will be released in cinemas in over 50 territories worldwide and will be available for free online on The Guardian's website starting in late November. While the film has no distributor in Israel, it is being released in the US exclusively at New York's IFC Center.

Abraham and Shor stated their intention was to use their platform as Israeli filmmakers and journalists to examine the systems responsible for the mass killing of Palestinian civilians. They drew parallels to questions their own grandparents' generation asked in the 20th century about dehumanization and the inner workings of such systems. The filmmakers noted that the film delves deeper than journalistic work alone, exploring not just spoken words but also silence, and the collective responsibility to break it.

Abraham and Shor were also directors of 'No Other Land', which won best documentary at the Oscars last year and chronicled the struggles of Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills. In Israel, protests have occurred outside the home of Rachel Shor's parents, with calls for violence against the filmmakers.