NAZA Documentary Reaches 1.5 Million Admissions Worldwide

More than 1.5 million people have seen the investigative documentary NAZA in cinemas across the world since its release last month, according to The Guardian.

The film details Israel’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza. Directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by The Guardian, the documentary reached a worldwide audience of 1,547,033 by Friday, November 6, 2026. Those figures position it as one of the most-watched documentary films with a theatrical release in 2026.

NAZA won the Special Jury prize at the Venice film festival in September, where its premiere received a record 24.5-minute standing ovation. The project subsequently drew international attention after Israel’s culture minister threatened to strip its directors of their citizenship, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the identification and prosecution of the film’s interviewees.

Following a theatrical run across 47 territories, the documentary is scheduled for a free global streaming release on The Guardian in early December. The publication is currently preparing the online video release for a wide international audience in multiple languages.

York york director yuval abraham attends the york film festival no other

The film achieved historic numbers in Italy after its September release. Recording 717,517 admissions, NAZA stands as the third most-watched documentary with a theatrical release of all time in Italy, trailing Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and The March of the Penguins.

Other European regions posted substantial totals. The UK and Ireland recorded 102,508 admissions, while distributor Cherry Pickers counted 132,323 admissions across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In Germany, where the war in Gaza and the government’s support of Israel have sown particularly deep division in the cultural scene, the film reached 83,355 spectators.

In the United States and Canada, the film recorded 83,673 admissions. It initially used a self-release model on September 30 before distributor Neon acquired it in October. Earlier this month, the project won the Critics’ Choice documentary award for best political documentary.

France implemented a limited 48-hour theatrical window due to strict local regulations concerning films that transition to online streaming. Despite the restriction, the documentary surpassed 82,000 admissions across nearly 500 screenings, ranking top at the box office on both days.

Cinemas in multiple regions reported audiences sitting in stunned silence as the credits rolled. “Rarely does a film screening give way to such silence when the lights come back on,” said a review on Radio France.

Keep reading