Venice, Italy - A new documentary from Oscar-winning Israeli filmmakers about mass killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza received a 25-minute ovation at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, an AFP reporter witnessed.
The audience clapped continuously for the directing pair after the screening, beating the 23-minute ovation given last year for The Voice of Hind Rajab, a docu-drama about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces.
That was thought to be a record for the festival.
The new documentary, Naza, was directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor – two of the filmmakers behind the acclaimed documentary No Other Land.
Per Variety, Naza means "collateral damage" and refers to a term used by the Israeli military to describe civilians murdered in attacks on Gaza.
As Abraham and Szor headed up the red carpet in a rain-soaked Venice on Thursday, there were shouts of "Free Palestine!" and "Free Israel!" from onlookers.
The evident enthusiasm for The Voice of Hind Rajab last year made it a favourite for Venice's best film award.
But it went on to win the second prize, with reports of a split in the jury.
Elsewhere at the famed film festival, an explosive documentary about billionaire Elon Musk and another chronicling Oasis' historic 2025 tour made their debuts earlier this week.