Full Breakdown
NAZA Documentary Beats Blockbuster at Italian Box Office Amid Israeli Government Criticism
By Drooid · · How we work
Box-Office Surge and Festival Acclaim
The 80-minute documentary NAZA opened in Italian cinemas on 28 September 2026 and, by the following day, had earned an estimated €1.1 million — according to Euronews — far outpacing the re-release of *Avengers Endgame: Encore*, which made €356 000 over the same period (via The Guardian). The film was originally slated for a three-day run, but sold-out screenings prompted distributors to extend the engagement and to add the title to programming at more than 150 additional Italian cinemas.
Film’s Content and Production
The documentary was shot covertly at night on Tel Aviv rooftops during the ongoing Gaza war and features 24 one-on-one interviews with Israeli military intelligence officers, soldiers and whistleblowers. To protect identities, participants’ faces and voices were digitally altered. The film builds on reporting published between 2023 and 2025 by +972 Magazine, the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, and The Guardian, and it left the 2026 Venice Film Festival with the Special Jury Prize and a 25-minute standing ovation.
Background and Context
The documentary’s title, “NAZA,” is shorthand for the Hebrew phrase *nezek agavi* (“collateral damage”). Its interviews focus on the period after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, which led Israel to declare war, impose a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, and launch a campaign that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 70 000 people by July 2026.
Official Statements & Responses
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the documentary, calling it a contributor to “global antisemitic incitement” and labeling the directors as “traitors” in a Telegram video. Culture Minister Miki Zohar announced an intention to revoke the Israeli citizenship of Abraham and Szor.
Criticism & Opposition
Netanyahu’s criticism frames the film as an internal source of antisemitism, arguing that portraying the Israel Defense Forces as “war criminals” is intolerable. Zohar’s threat to strip the directors of citizenship represents a rare governmental move to punish artistic expression linked to national security debates.
Verbatim Quotes
- “As long as theatres want to show it, NAZA will continue to be screened,” — Andrea Romeo, founder of I Wonder Pictures
- “We made this film out of a sense of obligation to use our position as Israelis to examine the systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians for which our country is responsible,” — Yuval Abraham, Oscar-winner
- “It’s shocking. We are fighting global antisemitic incitement and when it comes from within us it is intolerable,” — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister