Gaza documentary Naza, directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The award was announced on Saturday, September 12, following the film’s reported 25-minute standing ovation at its premiere earlier in the festival.
The 80-minute documentary is based on an investigation spanning almost three years and features testimony from 24 Israeli military and intelligence personnel who spoke anonymously.
The film examines alleged Israeli military practices in Gaza, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted systems to identify and track targets. Interviewees describe operations they say were carried out despite knowledge that civilians could be present.
The title Naza comes from an Israeli military term referring to the number of civilians expected to be killed in an air strike.
IDF rejects allegations in NAZA
The Israel Defence Forces has categorically rejected the allegations in the documentary, questioning whether the identities and military roles of the anonymous interviewees can be independently verified. It also disputed claims about their access to information concerning military strategy.
On the use of artificial intelligence, the IDF said decisions on selecting and approving strikes are made by human personnel, not AI. The military said it operates against terrorist organisations in accordance with international law and takes measures to minimise civilian harm.
Abraham highlights Palestinian deaths
Accepting the award, Abraham criticised Israeli politicians and journalists who he said were attacking and denying the film without seeing it.
He then referred to Palestinian children killed during the 10 days of the festival, saying Israel had killed at least six Palestinian children in Gaza during that period. He cited the deaths of a three-year-old girl at a bombed school, a seven-year-old boy killed with his father in a car and two sisters killed while sleeping at home.
Abraham said the Israeli intelligence personnel interviewed for Naza described the mass killing as “systemic, not by accident, but by design”, involving what he called policies based on the “total dehumanisation of Palestinians”.
He said Palestinian journalists had documented events in Gaza since the beginning of the war and claimed that more than 200 had been killed.
Abraham urged Israeli, European and American audiences to watch the documentary, saying it was particularly important for Israelis because “it’s our country that is doing these crimes”.
He also criticised Western governments over their positions on Israel and called for greater international pressure to end the war.
The documentary was produced by The Guardian and James Wilson, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Glazer serving as executive producer.
The Special Jury Prize is awarded by the Venice jury to recognise an outstanding film and ranks below the festival’s Golden Lion and Silver Lion awards.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed around 73,500 Palestinians and wounded 174,500 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
