The NAZA documentary—the Venice Film Festival investigation by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—now has a locked U.S. theatrical path: North American premiere at the New York Film Festival on 26 September 2026, exclusive open at IFC Center in New York on 30 September, then expansion to Los Angeles and other key markets on 9 October ahead of a wider rollout. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both published the plan on 18 September.
For readers searching “NAZA release date,” “IFC Center NAZA,” or “No Other Land directors new film,” this ADVANCE Film piece answers when and where to see it in the United States—and why the title is already politically contested—without inventing claims beyond sourced reporting.
What NAZA is—and what the title means
Producers describe NAZA as an investigative documentary built around interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence and military officers and soldiers. According to Deadline and THR, the film alleges systems and protocols around civilian harm in Gaza; one whistleblower cited in Deadline’s account claims an instance in which up to 500 Palestinian civilians were said to be allowed in an attack on a Hamas target. Some sources in the film allege AI targeting in dense residential areas.
The title NAZA is explained in producer materials as a military acronym used as shorthand for expected civilian casualties in an airstrike. The film was shot at night on Tel Aviv rooftops over roughly three years, per the directors’ statement.
Abraham and Szor are two of the four directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest) is an executive producer; The Guardian and James Wilson (JW Films) produce, with mk2 helping the fast U.S. and international distribution push.
Venice reaction—and the official Israeli pushback
At Venice, NAZA received a prolonged standing ovation reported as about 25 minutes and won the Special Jury Prize. THR notes the political storm that followed in Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces “categorically rejects” the film’s allegations, criticising anonymous testimonies as unverifiable and restating that the IDF strikes military targets while seeking to minimise civilian harm (THR). Deadline likewise quotes the IDF rejecting the AI-targeting assertion and arguing the film’s sources lacked access to relevant intelligence. THR also reports IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir calling the documentary “an attack on the State of Israel.” Deadline notes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened legislation that could revoke citizenship of filmmakers accused of defaming Israeli soldiers—Abraham and Szor are Israeli Jews.
Readers should treat these as attributed institutional positions, not settled courtroom findings.
US distribution model: Guardian + mk2, urgency framing
Producers say urgency of the subject drove a self-distribution-style U.S. model spearheaded by The Guardian and mk2, with further international plans still to be announced. Abraham and Szor’s statement, quoted by both Deadline and THR, says they made the film from an obligation as Israeli filmmakers and journalists to examine systems behind civilian killing for which they hold their country responsible, and that many revelations first ran as Guardian / +972 Magazine / Local Call journalism after 7 October.
Deadline adds a political calendar note: Israeli elections are set for 27 October, and Netanyahu’s attack may reflect concern about electoral impact—reported as context, not as a proven motive.
People also ask: is NAZA a sequel to No Other Land?
No. Same pair of Israeli directors (with different co-directors on No Other Land), different subject and method. No Other Land centred West Bank displacement; NAZA centres Gaza targeting systems via military testimony. Do not conflate the two titles in search captions.
Why this Film releases cluster piece now
NYFF (26 Sept) and IFC (30 Sept) sit inside the 7–14 day ADVANCE window from this Sunday desk—exactly when “where to watch NAZA” spikes. Pair with our live NYFF 2026 Paper Tiger (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/nyff-2026-paper-tiger) Opening Night hub and Shaque: Trust No One (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/shaque-trust-no-one-netflix) Netflix premiere guide—same Film releases cluster, different formats and stakes.
Sources: Deadline (Matthew Carey, 18 Sept 2026); The Hollywood Reporter (Etan Vlessing, 18 Sept 2026); filmmaker and IDF statements as quoted therein. No invented testimony or casualty figures beyond those reports.