Venice Film Festival: ‘NAZA’ Documentary Exposes Israel’s AI Targeting in Gaza

Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s documentary “NAZA” received a staggering 25-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. Setting what is thought to be a new record in Venice, the film exposes Israel’s AI-powered military targeting systems in Gaza through the firsthand testimonies of intelligence whistleblowers.

The Bottom Line

• Record-Breaking Reception: The 80-minute documentary surpassed last year’s 23-minute record set by another film about Gaza at Venice.
• Inside the AI Systems: The film draws on 24 Israeli intelligence and military whistleblowers detailing systems like “Lavender” used to identify people for assassination in Gaza.
• Award-Winning Pedigree: Directors Abraham and Szor previously won an Oscar in 2025 for “No Other Land,” working alongside producer Jim Wilson and executive producer Jonathan Glazer.

Inside the Venice Premiere and Record Applause

As the lights went up at the Palazzo del Cinema late Thursday night, the audience response quickly turned into a historic demonstration. According to reporting from Deadline, the 25-minute standing ovation comfortably secured the longest applause of this year’s Venice Film Festival. The moment even eclipsed the nearly 24-minute reaction scored last year by “The Voice Of Hind Rajab.”

Photo: deadline.com

Festival director Alberto Barbera was present in the auditorium, joining in the applause and warmly embracing the directing duo. However, the emotional room also carried heavy political flashpoints. Audience members unfurled Palestinian and Lebanese flags as the credits rolled, testing festival security protocols before guards ultimately opted not to intervene.

Deconstructing the AI “Killing Factory”

The nearly three-year investigative project centers entirely on how military tech operates on the ground. Titled after “NAZA,” a euphemism used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians that are expected to be killed in an airstrike, the film relies on the encrypted and anonymous accounts of 24 soldiers and intelligence operatives.

Photo: al-monitor.com

Interviewees describe an automated apparatus—including a system known as “Lavender”—that processes mass surveillance data to flag targets. Participants in the documentary liken the experience to working in a lethal factory or playing a remote video game, noting that basic targeting units frequently default to residential family homes in Gaza.

Film Title	Directors / Key Team	Venice Ovation Duration	Core Subject Matter
NAZA	Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Jim Wilson, Jonathan Glazer	25 Minutes	AI-powered military targeting systems and civilian casualties in Gaza
The Voice Of Hind Rajab	Kaouther Ben Hania, Nadim Cheikhrouha, James Wilson	Nearly 24 Minutes	The killing of a young girl under military fire in Gaza

The Creative Team and Broader Industry Stakes

The documentary arrives carrying significant cinematic weight. Abraham and Szor are fresh off their 2025 Academy Award win for “No Other Land,” which documented Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank alongside Palestinian co-directors Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. Their latest venture is produced by Britain’s Jim Wilson and executive produced by Jonathan Glazer—the creative force behind the Auschwitz-set Oscar winner “The Zone of Interest”—alongside Guardian Documentaries.

Industry critics have already weighed in on the film’s abrasive power. Screen labeled the project an “urgent, gut-punch,” while The Hollywood Reporter observed that it inspired profound outrage and disgust toward the current Israeli regime. Speaking ahead of the world premiere, Abraham emphasized that the project aims to lay bare the mechanics of modern warfare from the inside out, urging Western nations to reconsider their political and diplomatic backing.

As Venice concludes its run, “NAZA” stands not only as the sole documentary in competition but as a searing cultural lightning rod that will undoubtedly shape international distribution conversations in the months ahead. What are your thoughts on how modern documentary filmmaking confronts state-level AI deployment? Let’s discuss in the comments below.