Eight months after No Other Land made Oscar history, its co-directors are back with a new documentary from Gaza. NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has been added to the main competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival—a rare slot for a documentary. mk2 Films, the Paris-based sales agent, is launching world sales ahead of the world premiere.
A Late Addition to Venice’s Main Competition
The 82nd Venice International Film Festival, running from August 27 to September 6, 2025, added NAZA to its competition line-up at the last minute. The film, a documentary on Gaza, joins a slate dominated by fiction features—a rarity for Venice, which historically favors auteur cinema. The late announcement suggests either a rushed post-production to capture the ongoing crisis or a strategic slot to maximize impact.
The Filmmakers: From Oscar Win to Gaza
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, both Israeli journalists, previously co-directed No Other Land with Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. That film, chronicling the demolition of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank, won the Berlinale Documentary Film Award and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2025. The film’s Oscar win was a political flashpoint, with debates over Israeli filmmakers documenting Palestinian suffering. Now, NAZA shifts focus to Gaza, continuing their documentation of life under occupation and conflict.
mk2 Films: Continuing the Partnership
mk2 Films handled sales for No Other Land in several territories, so the partnership with NAZA is a natural continuation. The company is known for prestige festival titles and strong European theatrical distribution. With the post-Oscar bump, NAZA‘s commercial ceiling is higher, and mk2 is likely targeting theatrical, streaming, and broadcast deals across multiple territories.
What to Expect from NAZA
While specific plot details remain under wraps, the film’s subject matter is Gaza. The challenge of making a documentary about an ongoing war is shaping narrative without an ending. Will NAZA employ personal testimony, observational verité, or archival footage? The filmmakers’ previous work combined intimate portraits with political context. How they adapt their style to the chaos of Gaza—where safety is a constant concern—will be a key question.
The Political and Ethical Stakes
The film arrives amid the Israel–Hamas war (October 2023–present), with Gaza’s humanitarian crisis dominating global headlines. The filmmakers have faced criticism from both sides: some Palestinian filmmakers question Israeli filmmakers telling their stories, while Israeli authorities have been hostile to their work. NAZA will likely reignite debates about representation, funding, and the role of Israeli filmmakers in documenting Palestinian suffering.
The Venice Platform
Venice has rarely placed documentaries in its main competition, though Sacro GRA won the Golden Lion in 2013. The festival’s embrace of NAZA signals a growing acceptance of documentary as a competitive art form. For mk2 Films, a Venice premiere offers global media attention and access to top-tier buyers. The film’s world premiere date and screening slot will be announced closer to the festival.
NAZA is more than a follow-up to an Oscar winner—it is a test of how cinema can respond to an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. With Venice as its launchpad and mk2’s sales machinery behind it, the film is poised to be one of the most talked-about documentaries of the year. Whether it can transcend the political noise and reach audiences as a work of art remains to be seen.
Summary
- NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, is a new documentary on Gaza, added late to the Venice 2025 main competition.
- mk2 Films is handling world sales, continuing their partnership from No Other Land.
- The film follows the Oscar-winning No Other Land and faces high expectations and political scrutiny.
- Venice’s rare documentary competition slot signals growing acceptance of non-fiction in top-tier festivals.
- Production details and world premiere date are yet to be confirmed.
FAQ
Q: Is NAZA a sequel to No Other Land?
A: No, it’s a separate documentary focusing on Gaza, not a continuation of the West Bank story.
Q: Why is a documentary in Venice’s main competition?
A: Venice rarely includes documentaries, but NAZA‘s topical urgency and the filmmakers’ pedigree likely earned it a slot.
Q: Who are the directors?
A: Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, Israeli journalists who co-directed No Other Land.
Q: What is the film’s subject?
A: Gaza, but specific plot details are undisclosed; it will document life under conflict.
Q: When and where will it premiere?
A: The world premiere is expected at Venice 2025 (August 27–September 6), but the exact date is unconfirmed.