Film documenting the killing of civilians in Gaza now showing at Tyneside Cinema

NAZA, a new documentary on the IDF’s targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, is now screening in Newcastle. 

The film had its premiere on the September 10th at the Venice Film Festival, before recently being released for public screenings in the UK on October 16th.   

Since then, NAZA has been showing daily at Newcastle’s own independent Tyneside Cinema, with varied screen times throughout the week.

According to The Guardian, the film is set to be released on their website in late November for free, following international appeal for the film and as part of a commitment to supporting independent journalism. 

NAZA seeks to uncover the systems behind mass Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The film was shot at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv by its two Israeli directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Through interviews with anonymous Israeli intelligence personnel and soldiers, the directors offer a revealing look inside Israel’s systematic military processes. 

The two directors said: “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.

“The threats from the Israeli government to revoke our citizenship and the death threats do not change that and will not stop the film. We thank our colleagues for the solidarity and look forward to sharing NAZA all over the world very soon.”

We asked students in Newcastle for their thoughts on the film being shown at Tyneside Cinema.

A first year law student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I believe the documentary’s story is one which I think all people should be aware of, because of the crimes being displayed and the harsh realities it shows.

”I think it’s important university students watch it, so they can keep informed, and to support the cause the movie shows… Audiences who watch the documentary can spark conversations on the matter of injustices being faced around the world, and how our actions can be used to influence the support of others.

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When asked about Tyneside Cinema showing the film, the student said: “I feel that independent cinemas, like Tyneside, should be supported for keeping unique stories alive and for giving people the chance to explore cinema linked to the world around us.”

Another student told The Newcastle Tab: “I’m glad this film is depicting the dark underbelly of the systematic nature of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It’s truly horrifying. This film is coming after many years of documented violence in the news, a line of recent films like The Voice of Hind Rajab, Palestine 36, No Other Land, and more. 

I wish that other cinemas – more big ones, like Cineworld – were showing this locally, though. No Other Land (which came from the same directors) won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2025, so the film’s distribution doesn’t make sense, though it doesn’t surprise me sadly.”

The IDF released a statement on October 1st, calling the film “a distorted, misleading, and disingenuous picture of the IDF’s target planning and striking process,” and “an incorrect and highly misleading description of reality.”

One of NAZA’s producers responded to the IDF’s claims in a statement to The Guardian, and said: “The process of assessing the credibility of the testimonies was rigorous. It included leaked classified documents, detailed verification of specific strikes and corroboration via a wider pool of confidential journalistic sources who did not appear on camera in the film.

“Over the past three years we have together interviewed more than 100 sources familiar with IDF systems used in the war in Gaza, including senior-ranking commanders directly involved in the authorisation of strikes.”

NAZA is showing in Tyneside Cinema from October 24th to October 29th.

Featured image via Dogwoof Documentaries/The Guardian

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