The Venice-winning documentary "NAZA", by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Sor, is now moving from the festival circuit to cinemas, to an international distribution that will also reach Cyprus.
Its international film distribution, in collaboration with the French company MK2 Films, will take place in 56 countries, with European screenings starting on October 9. The list includes, among others, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Denmark and Norway.
In Cyprus, the Pantheon has already announced the screening of the film in November, in its first pan-Cypriot screening. The exact dates are expected to be announced.
Following its cinematic run, "NAZA" is set to be available for free online through the Guardian's website, according to the producers.
"NAZA" had its world premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Its first screening was accompanied by about 25 minutes of applause, while the film immediately found itself at the center of the international debate about the war in Gaza.
The film is 80 minutes long and was filmed secretly, at night, on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, while the war in Gaza was underway. At the heart of it are the testimonies of 24 Israeli military and intelligence officials, who speak anonymously about the procedures for selecting targets and conducting the air strikes in Gaza. Their faces and voices have been digitally processed to protect their identity.
According to the official synopsis of the film, "NAZA" examines the mechanisms behind the attacks and the death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The film is based on journalistic investigations published from 2023 to 2025 in +972 Magazine, Local Call and the Guardian.
The title "NAZA" refers, according to the creators, to the Hebrew term "Nezek Agavi", which is rendered as "collateral damage" and refers to the expected number of civilians who may be killed in an airstrike.
Abraham and Shore are two of the four co-creators of "No Other Land", the documentary that won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2025. Their new film, however, has caused very strong reactions in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Culture Minister Mickey Zohar have publicly condemned the film and its creators, while Zohar has said he will seek to strip them of their Israeli citizenship.
These statements provoked reactions from human rights organizations and more than 1500 Israeli filmmakers, who signed a text in support of the two creators and freedom of expression.
