VENICE, 12 September 2026 (Nosheen): The Gaza-focused documentary NAZA received a strong response at the Venice Film Festival, with the audience giving the filmmakers a standing ovation lasting around 25 minutes following its screening. According to AFP, the applause is considered among the longest standing ovations in the history of the festival. The approximately 80-minute documentary examines the killing of civilians in Gaza and Israeli military actions against Palestinians, while also alleging that artificial intelligence-powered systems were used to identify and target people in Palestinian territories. The film is directed by Israeli journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Zor, who previously won an Oscar in 2025 for their documentary No Other Land, which focused on violence and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. NAZA took around three years of research to complete and includes testimonies from sources linked to the Israeli military and intelligence services who spoke anonymously. Their faces and voices were digitally altered to protect their identities, while some interviews were filmed at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv. The filmmakers said they hoped the testimonies about civilian deaths in Gaza would encourage audiences to confront the issue rather than remain silent. The documentary is competing for the Golden Lion, the Venice Film Festival’s top award, and its strong reception has placed it among the potential contenders for the prestigious prize.