The investigative documentary NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has taken the lead in the critics ratings at the Venice Film Festival after receiving a record 24.5-minute standing ovation at its premiere.
As the Venice Film Festival approaches its final phase, the film has emerged as the main sensation of the competition on the Venetian Lido. NAZA is the only documentary included in this year's official competition line-up.
The picture currently holds top spot on the critics grid traditionally published during the festival by Screen magazine. Its premiere screening generated the longest sustained applause recorded in the history of the event.
Filmed over three years, NAZA represents a large-scale work of investigative journalism focusing on Israeli military operations. The title of the documentary takes its name from an acronym used by Israeli intelligence services to designate the acceptable or expected number of civilians who may die during an airstrike.
The foundation of the documentary consists of anonymous interviews conducted with 24 officers from Israeli military intelligence and soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces. Their faces and voices were digitally altered beyond recognition to protect their identities.
In the film, military insiders detail how modern artificial intelligence systems and telephone surveillance technologies are deployed to locate and calculate targets. Officers interviewed on camera admit that strikes on the homes of suspected Hamas members were carried out intentionally, even when intelligence confirmed that children and family members were inside the building.
The informants share several chilling accounts of operations. One officer describes wiretapping two young sisters to determine when their father would return home so a missile strike could be guided to the location. The resulting missile strike destroyed the entire family, although the intended target was not actually inside the house.
Divided Critical Reception
The film soared to the top of the international Jury Grid due to its bold approach and unprecedented documentation of facts. However, critical reaction to the work remains divided into two distinct camps.
English-language publications including The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and the International Cinephile Society praised the documentary as sober, shocking, and essential viewing, highlighting that the directors succeeded in compelling the perpetrators themselves to give testimony. In contrast, Italian critics criticized the film, describing it as overly publicistic in tone.
Despite the divide among reviewers, press estimates place the documentary's chances of winning the festival's top prize as extremely high. At the festival opening, Jury President Maggie Gyllenhaal stated that if cinema provides an honest look at the experience of another person, then it is fundamentally and inevitably political.
The jury also features Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, director of the Gaza drama The Voice of Hind Rajab, which won the Silver Lion at Venice last year. Ben Hania is expected to actively support NAZA during jury deliberations.
Golden Lion Contenders
Historically, the Venice jury rarely awards its primary prize, the Golden Lion, to a documentary feature when strong narrative works by established auteurs are in competition. If Gyllenhaal and the panel choose to avoid an overly political award statement, several narrative feature films stand as primary favorites.
South Korean director Lee Chang-dong holds second place in the critical ratings with Possible Love. The drama received very warm reviews and high scores from both European and Asian critics. Third place in the standings is occupied by Bucking Fastard, directed by veteran German filmmaker Werner Herzog.
Mid-table positions in the critical standings feature Wild Horse Nine by British-Irish director Martin McDonagh, Bunker by French director Florian Zeller, Look Back by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Ink by British filmmaker Danny Boyle.
The most controversial and longest film in the competition, DAU by director Ilya Khrzhanovsky, who has been designated a foreign agent in Russia, landed lower in the rankings. It placed 15th with the international jury and 17th with the Italian press.
Acting Prize Favorites
Contenders for the festival's acting honors have also taken shape as the competition nears its end. Critics consider South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon for her role in Possible Love and the Mara sisters for their performances in Bucking Fastard to have the strongest bids for the female acting award.
For the best actor prize, critics tip Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the leading favorite for his performance in Florian Zeller's psychological drama Bunker.
