NAZA to Open in New York on 30 September With Self-Distributed US Release
The team behind the Gaza documentary NAZA will release the film themselves in the United States, opening on 30 September at IFC in New York City, as reported by Deadline.
The rollout starts small. The film is set to expand to Los Angeles and other key markets on 9 October, followed by a nationwide release in the weeks after that, according to the same report.
NAZA was directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, as noted by Deadline. The two are Israeli journalists, according to Reuters, and were two of the four co-directors of No Other Land, the documentary that won the Oscar in 2025, as reported by Deadline.
The film is a documentary about killings in Gaza, as described by Variety. It explores killings of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and documents the military's use of secret AI-powered systems, as reported by Democracy Now.
Venice added NAZA to its competition line-up, the section in contention for the festival's top prizes, according to Deadline. It then screened at the festival and went on to win a Special Jury award, as reported by Democracy Now.
The production has high-profile backing. The Guardian served as a producer on the documentary, and Jonathan Glazer, the British film-maker, served as an executive producer, a senior support and backing credit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film has drawn a sharp response in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described NAZA as "shocking incitement", according to Reuters. He later stepped up threats against the directors, Reuters reported.
Self-distribution means Abraham, Szor and their team are booking cinemas and handling the release directly, rather than licensing the film to an established American distributor that would normally pay for prints, advertising and bookings. For audiences, this kind of release often begins in one or two cities before widening if tickets sell.
