‘NAZA’, the new documentary from ‘No Other Land’ directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a record-breaking 24.5-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, Variety reported.

The response surpassed the previous Venice record of 22 minutes, set by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ last year. With the festival set to conclude on Saturday, ‘NAZA’ could retain the record as its longest ovation.

Oscar-winning ‘The Zone of Interest’ director Jonathan Glazer, who serves as an executive producer on the documentary, was seen embracing Abraham and Szor and cheering them on as the applause continued.

The directors appeared emotional during the reception, with both becoming tearful at points. Several members of the audience also appeared visibly moved, while some held up Palestinian flags.

“NAZA shows in detail the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” according to its official synopsis.

Shot secretly at night from rooftops in Tel Aviv, the documentary features interviews with 24 Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers. The film examines the systems and decision-making processes surrounding military operations in Gaza.

The term ‘NAZA’, which appears throughout the documentary, is described as an acronym for collateral damage. According to the film, it is used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike.

‘NAZA’ added to Venice competition at the last minute

The documentary was added to the Venice competition programme in August, around a month after the initial line-up was announced in July.

At a press conference on Thursday, Abraham and Szor said the late addition was linked to the film still being completed. The documentary had been in the works for three years.

The pair were among the four directors of ‘No Other Land’, which won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2025. The film documented efforts by Israeli authorities to remove Palestinians from their homes in the southern West Bank.

Speaking to Variety ahead of the premiere, Abraham explained why the filmmakers chose to examine the Israeli military system from their position as Israelis.

“As Israelis, we found ourselves wanting to use the kind of position that we have, the access that we have to people in our own society who went into the military, to look at that system as it carried out what all human rights organisations are saying is a genocide.”

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ held previous Venice record

Before ‘NAZA’, ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ had received the longest standing ovation in Venice, lasting 22 minutes.

The film, directed by Ben Hania, tells the story of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli military fire while attempting to flee Gaza City with her family.

Ben Hania is also part of the Venice jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, which will select this year’s award winners on Saturday.