A new documentary examining the human cost of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has achieved the longest standing ovation in the history of the Venice Film Festival, with audiences rising for an extraordinary 24 and a half minutes on Thursday evening.
The film, titled Naza, moved its premiere audience to tears as directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor stood visibly emotional while spectators waved Palestinian flags from their seats. The unprecedented reaction at the 83rd edition of the world’s oldest film festival underscored the powerful resonance of a work that confronts one of the most contentious conflicts of our time.
A First for the Lagoon City
Venice has long been a stage for politically charged cinema, but nothing of this scale had been seen before. The 24.5-minute ovation surpassed all previous records at the festival, transforming the screening into a moment of collective protest as much as artistic celebration.
The sheer duration of the applause left many in the auditorium in tears. Audience members rose to their feet and held aloft Palestinian flags, turning the historic Sala Grande into a sea of colour and defiance. For the filmmakers, who watched from the front rows, the moment was overwhelming.
Abraham and Szor, both known for their previous critically acclaimed documentary No Other Land, appeared deeply affected by the response. The directors wiped away tears as they absorbed an ovation that clearly carried weight far beyond the world of cinema.
What ‘Naza’ Exposes
At its core, Naza offers a harrowing look at the human toll of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The title itself is an acronym used within Israeli military intelligence to describe civilian collateral damage — specifically, the number of civilians killed or expected to be killed during an airstrike.
The documentary is built around testimonies from 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers, who speak candidly about the attitudes that shaped decisions leading to civilian casualties. By placing those who served at the centre of the narrative, the film forces viewers to reckon with uncomfortable questions about accountability, moral injury, and the culture of warfare.
The inclusion of voices from within Israel’s own security apparatus gives the documentary a distinctive and provocative angle. Rather than relying solely on external accounts, Naza allows those closest to the operations to articulate — in their own words — how civilian harm was perceived, discussed, and, in many cases, accepted as a byproduct of military strategy.
The Minds Behind the Camera
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor have established themselves as filmmakers unafraid to tackle politically sensitive subjects. Their earlier work, No Other Land, examined Israeli occupation through the eyes of Palestinian activists and was itself recognised at international film festivals.
With Naza, the pair have raised the stakes considerably. The film does not merely document destruction; it interrogates the language and logic used to justify it. By focusing on the very terminology — “naza” — that Israeli forces use to quantify civilian death, the directors highlight the chilling normalisation of loss within military planning.
Their emotional response at the premiere spoke volumes about the personal investment behind the project. For Abraham and Szor, the ovation was not simply an accolade but a validation of the risks they took in producing a film that challenges dominant narratives around one of the world’s most enduring conflicts.
Why it Matters
The reception of Naza at Venice signals a significant moment where culture and political consciousness have collided on a global stage. As the conflict in Gaza continues to dominate international headlines, a documentary that channels the voices of those within Israel’s military machine forces audiences everywhere to confront uncomfortable truths about how civilian casualties are rationalised and recorded. The record-breaking standing ovation was more than appreciation for filmmaking — it was a statement, a protest, and a reminder that the stories emerging from Gaza demand to be heard, regardless of how uncomfortable they may be for those in positions of power.
