As controversy over the documentary “NAZA” continues in Israel, the new film by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor is moving toward a much wider public audience abroad, with a U.S. theatrical release set to begin immediately after its appearance at the New York Film Festival.
Following its international premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a lengthy ovation and won the Special Jury Prize, “NAZA” is scheduled to screen at the prestigious New York festival later this month. Both festival screenings have already sold out.
After Venice prize, controversial Israeli documentary ‘NAZA’ prepares for US cinema run
(Photo: Stefano Rellandini / AFP)
The film will then begin a commercial run at Manhattan’s IFC Center on Sept. 30, before expanding to Los Angeles and potentially other U.S. cities depending on ticket sales and audience interest.
No American distributor has acquired the documentary. Instead, its U.S. rollout will be handled independently with backing from British newspaper The Guardian and France’s MK2, which are assembling a team of American and international partners and advisers to bring the film to audiences as quickly as possible.
The unusual distribution strategy carries obvious risks. Politically charged documentaries are often difficult to sell to American audiences, and the absence of an established U.S. distributor means the film will have to build momentum largely through reviews, media attention and word of mouth.
But the filmmakers have reason to believe the model can work.
Their previous film, the Oscar-winning “No Other Land,” which Abraham and Szor made with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal, also struggled to secure a conventional U.S. distribution deal before ultimately being released independently.
Despite the reluctance of established distributors, concerns over the film’s political sensitivity following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the war in Gaza, and offers the filmmakers considered too low, “No Other Land” became one of the year’s most commercially successful documentaries.
It has grossed about $2.55 million in the United States and $3.65 million worldwide to date, turning what initially appeared to be a risky distribution strategy into a significant commercial success.
The team behind “NAZA” is now hoping to recreate that trajectory. Publicity surrounding the film has grown considerably since Venice, particularly following the fierce reaction it triggered in Israel and threats to revoke the filmmakers’ Israeli citizenship.
The film features Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel discussing their experiences and perspectives from behind the scenes of the war in Gaza. Abraham and Szor have said the documentary was conceived first and foremost for Israeli viewers.
Alongside the U.S. release, “NAZA” is also expected to screen in Europe, although no organized theatrical rollout has yet been announced there.
Whether Israeli audiences will be able to see the film remains uncertain. No local theatrical release has been confirmed, and it is still unclear where, or whether, the documentary will ultimately be screened in Israel.
Desk verification: The filmmakers’ English-language spelling is Rachel Szor, and official listings confirm the New York Film Festival engagement and Sept. 30 opening at IFC Center.