Gaza documentary NAZA received a 25 minute standing ovation following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, in what is believed to be a new record for the festival.
The film, directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, examines the systems used by the Israeli military in attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The documentary features testimony from 24 current and former Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers, whose identities are concealed. They discuss surveillance, artificial intelligence, targeting systems and how decisions surrounding strikes in Gaza were made.
According to an AFP reporter at the premiere, the audience applauded Abraham and Szor for around 25 minutes following the screening on September 10.
The filmmakers stood together during the ovation, while Palestinian and Lebanese flags were also raised by members of the audience.
NAZA reunites Abraham and Szor after they worked on the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land alongside Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal.
The title refers to an acronym that the film says is used by the Israeli military in relation to the estimated number of civilians who could be killed in a strike.
The Israeli military has rejected accusations that it deliberately targets civilians, saying its operations are directed at Hamas and that it takes measures to limit civilian casualties.
It has acknowledged using artificial intelligence to help identify targets but says decisions to carry out strikes ultimately involve human approval.
The film is executive produced by The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer, who joined Abraham and Szor at the Venice premiere.
The reception comes one year after another film about Gaza, Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, received a roughly 23 minute ovation at Venice.
NAZA is competing for the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival and is the only documentary among the films in competition.
Source: Khaleej Times