Culture 4 min read By Mason Emerson
Trailer Released for Venice-Winning Gaza Documentary «NAZA»
The first trailer for «NAZA,» Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor's Venice special jury prize winner, has been released ahead of a free global streaming release via The Guardian.
The first trailer for «NAZA,» the documentary about the war in Gaza that won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, has been released by The Guardian, JW Films and French sales company MK2. The film is directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and it has been one of the most talked-about titles on the festival circuit this year.
Shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, «NAZA» explores the killings of Palestinians during the conflict through a series of interviews with Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. The documentary's approach — using direct testimony from those who served — has made it a focal point of discussion since its Venice debut, where it drew both acclaim and intense debate.
In an unprecedented move announced earlier this week, The Guardian will make «NAZA» available to global audiences for free on its website following its theatrical run. The British newspaper's decision to host the film marks a significant shift in how high-profile documentaries reach viewers, bypassing traditional subscription streaming platforms in favor of open access. The trailer's release is timed to build momentum ahead of that global rollout.
The film's directors, Abraham and Szor, have been at the center of the documentary's reception. Abraham is also known for his work as a journalist and filmmaker, and «NAZA» has been positioned as a companion piece to other recent documentaries examining the conflict from multiple perspectives. The Venice special jury prize gave the film an early boost, and the subsequent free-release plan has extended its reach well beyond the festival audience.
«NAZA» arrives at a moment when documentaries about Gaza are drawing heightened attention from both critics and general audiences. The film's rooftop-night visual style and its reliance on soldier testimony distinguish it from more conventional war reportage, offering a perspective that has been described as revelatory by early viewers. The trailer emphasizes the intimacy of those interviews, setting the tone for what the filmmakers intend as a direct and unsettling viewing experience.
The free streaming arrangement with The Guardian is unusual for a film of this profile. Most Venice prize winners move through a sequence of festival screenings, theatrical distribution and then paid streaming. By making «NAZA» available at no cost on a news website, the partners behind the film are betting that broad accessibility will amplify its impact and keep the conversation going long after the festival headlines fade.
No release date for the free streaming version has been confirmed beyond the announcement that it will follow the film's theatrical window. The trailer is now available, and the film continues to be represented internationally by MK2, with JW Films and The Guardian handling the global free-release plan. For audiences outside the festival circuit, the trailer offers the first extended look at a documentary that has already become one of the year's most discussed nonfiction releases.
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