The acclaimed documentary Naza, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, explores Israel’s use of mass surveillance and AI technology in Gaza through interviews with 24 intelligence members. Executive produced by Jonathan Glazer, the film is heading to U.S. theaters later this month following a historic Venice Film Festival premiere.
The cultural landscape of cinema often shifts quietly, but occasionally, a project arrives with the force of a structural earthquake. This isn’t just another festival darling making the traditional arthouse rounds; it is an uncompromising examination of modern warfare, algorithmic targeting, and accountability.
The Bottom Line
The Premise: Built on interviews with 24 Israeli intelligence members, Naza investigates the military’s deployment of AI and mass surveillance during operations in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks. The title stems from the Hebrew military acronym “nezek agavi,” denoting collateral damage.
The Pedigree: Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—the Israeli half of the collective behind 2024’s No Other Land—the project boasts executive producer Jonathan Glazer, whose Academy Award-winning The Zone of Interest set a high-water mark for confronting state violence on screen.
The Fallout: The film’s Venice Film Festival premiere yielded a record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation and a Special Jury Prize, but it has also triggered severe political backlash in Israel, with calls from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for legal penalties against the creators.
Inside the Clinical Machinery of Modern Warfare
Filmed over the past few years on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, Naza relies on a stark, clinical aesthetic to convey its subject matter. Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—with Szor behind the lens and Abraham conducting interviews—place their subjects in heavy shadow while Abraham remains dimly lit on screen. According to reviews from major outlets, the film avoids graphic battlefield footage, save for a brief sequence near the conclusion. Instead, its power stems from the chillingly administrative descriptions provided by the 24 intelligence operatives interviewed.
IndieWire’s Siddhant Adlaka noted that the film shakes viewers to their core “because of the stirring form in which they come to light.” Similarly, New York magazine critic Bilge Ebiri described the feature as a “bombshell” with a “spare, focused style” that possesses a “grim, artful beauty.” This deliberate, antiseptic framing has made the project an undeniable critical triumph, earning a 96 on Metacritic and a pristine 100% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
The Creative Forces and High-Stakes Pedigree
The artistic lineage of Naza connects directly to some of the most politically charged cinema of recent years. Directors Abraham and Szor previously collaborated on the 2024 collective project No Other Land alongside Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. That background in frontline documentary filmmaking informs the precise, unyielding tone of Naza.
Beyond the directing duo, the production benefits from heavyweight industry backing. Jonathan Glazer serves as executive producer, joined by his longtime producer James Wilson through JW Films. Glazer’s presence carries immense weight in Hollywood, particularly following his memorable Best Foreign Film Oscar acceptance speech for 2023’s The Zone of Interest, where he explicitly condemned the ongoing violence and occupation in Palestine. In a rare distribution alliance, the new documentary was also co-produced by The Guardian newspaper, cementing its cross-medium authority.
| Metric / Detail | Project Information |
|---|---|
| Directors | Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor |
| Key Producers | James Wilson (JW Films), co-produced by The Guardian |
| Executive Producer | Jonathan Glazer |
| Festival Reception | Venice Film Festival Special Jury Prize, record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation |
| Critical Scores | 96 on Metacritic, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes |
Political Firestorms and Global Industry Ramifications
While festival juries in Venice rewarded the film with a Special Jury Prize and a historic 25-minute standing ovation, the political fallout has been immediate and severe. The government of Israel has expressed fierce opposition to the film’s release, with multiple cabinet ministers signaling potential state action against the filmmakers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly called for Szor and Abraham to face defamation fines—proposing that penalties be raised twentyfold—and to be stripped of their Israeli citizenship.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have announced plans to assemble a cross-agency team of experts to formulate a strategic response. The tension has spilled far beyond bureaucratic channels; reports indicate that members of Israel’s far-right party demonstrated outside the home of Szor’s parents, with agitators calling for harsh punishments against the directors. As Naza prepares for its upcoming screening at the New York Film Festival ahead of its late-month U.S. theatrical rollout, it sits at the absolute intersection of high-end art, political dissent, and international controversy.
What happens when uncompromising documentary filmmaking collides with geopolitical reality on the global stage? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss how this release will shape the autumn cinema season.
