Venice winner NAZA opens in New York ahead of wide expansion
Venice prize-winning documentary NAZA started its United States run at the IFC Center in New York on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
The opening followed a screening at the New York Film Festival the prior weekend, according to Deadline. Most shows at the IFC Center had sold out through the weekend as of noon on Wednesday. The film was eyeing more than $70,000 for its first five days in New York.
NAZA was written and directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. It is built around interviews with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers, filmed on rooftops in Tel Aviv at night.
The interviewees appear in silhouette with digitally altered voices, according to Deadline. The title is an acronym used by the Israel Defense Forces to signify collateral damage, specifically the degree of acceptable civilian loss when trying to kill suspected Hamas militants.
The film had its world premiere at Venice, where it won the Special Jury Prize. It received a 25-minute standing ovation at the festival. It held 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the review-aggregation site, from 32 reviews at the time of reporting on October 2, 2026.
The production credits include The Guardian and James Wilson's JW Films as producers. Jonathan Glazer served as executive producer. MTuckman Media is helping with US bookings.
The release plan extends well beyond one screen. NAZA was set to expand to more than 60 theatres in over 30 markets the following weekend. The sales agent mk2 films handles rest-of-world sales, meaning rights sold outside the United States, and the film had sales deals in 56 markets.
In Italy, NAZA opened with €1.81 million ($2.1 million), according to Deadline. The Guardian plans to stream the film internationally for free starting in six to eight weeks, after the theatrical run. That free online window was also described as November in earlier reporting on the global release by Screen Daily.
The claims in the film have been denied by Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to revoke the filmmakers' citizenship and to pass legislation making it illegal to criticise the armed forces, according to Deadline.
Abraham and Szor attended Venice and the New York Film Festival, the 64th edition of which ran from September 25 through October 12, 2026. They were not appearing at opening question-and-answer sessions in New York. Representatives said the two filmmakers were not currently in the US or in Israel.
