A documentary examining the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza has been added to the main competition at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, marking the second consecutive year that a high profile film about the conflict will compete for the prestigious Golden Lion.
The film, “NAZA,” directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, will be the only documentary among the festival’s 21 main competition entries. It will premiere on September 10 during the festival, which runs from September 2 to 12.
According to the festival, the documentary was filmed at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv and examines what it describes as the systems behind Israel’s military campaign and the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The film comes from the team behind “No Other Land,” which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2025. Abraham and Szor were among the film’s four directors. “No Other Land” documented the destruction of a Palestinian community in the Israeli occupied West Bank and the expansion of Jewish settlements.
Last year’s Venice festival featured “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which told the story of a young Palestinian girl trapped in a car during Israeli fire. The film received a 23 minute standing ovation and won the festival’s second prize.
Palestinian health authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign following the October 2023 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli figures.
Israel says its military operation is aimed at Hamas and that it takes measures to minimise civilian casualties, while accusing the militant group of operating among civilians. Hamas denies the allegation.
“NAZA” was produced by Britain’s Guardian newspaper and James Wilson, with Oscar winning filmmaker Jonathan Glazer serving as executive producer. Glazer directed the Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest.”
The documentary joins a competition featuring works by filmmakers including Martin McDonagh, Florian Zeller, Danny Boyle, Werner Herzog and Hirokazu Kore eda.
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