Venice prize-winner, slammed by Israeli government, takes in almost half a million euro on its first day and tops the Italian charts.Naza, the documentary that won the Special Jury Prize at this year's Venice Film Festival, has opened at number one at cinemas in Italy, with Italian media calling it a record for a documentary's debut.The film took €451,872 on Monday 28 September, according to Cinetel figures, an average of €1,153 per screen. That put it ahead of the Marvel re-release Avengers: Endgame Extra (€179,612) and Ultimo – Tutto. Live a Tor Vergata (€145,534). MYmovies reports more than 60,000 admissions in a single day. Distributed by I Wonder Pictures, Naza opened in 515 cinemas as part of a three-day event, from 28 to 30 September. Many screenings sold out, with Italian media reporting that the film is set to stay on the big screen beyond the planned run. What the film is about Naza is directed by Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and filmmaker Rachel Szor, who co-directed the Oscar-winning No Other Land with Palestinian colleagues Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. The title is a Hebrew military acronym for "collateral damage". The 80-minute film is built on three years of reporting by +972 Magazine and Local Call, in partnership with The Guardian, which is among its producers. Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest, is executive producer. It centres on anonymous testimony from 24 current and former Israeli military and intelligence personnel. They were filmed at night on Tel Aviv rooftops, with their faces and voices disguised. The directors say the film examines how the system that kills Palestinian civilians works, rather than isolated war crimes by rogue soldiers. It frames what it documents as genocide, a term the film's makers say matches conclusions reached by a UN commission and several human rights groups. Backlash from Israel The film drew a fierce reaction from the Israeli government after its Venice premiere, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation. Israeli ministers called it "vile" and described the directors as "traitors in wartime" who deserve to lose their Israeli citizenship. National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the film antisemitic and told the directors to leave Israel. Culture minister Miki Zohar called for their citizenship to be revoked, a demand press freedom advocates and film industry figures condemned. Abraham and Szor say they made the film out of a duty, as Israeli journalists and filmmakers, to examine the mechanisms behind the killing of Palestinian civilians. They have offered the film free to Israeli cinemas, while The Guardian says it is considering how to show it in the occupied Palestinian territories. Global release Naza is opening in more than 50 countries and has also screened at the New York Film Festival. It will be free to watch online from November, streamed on The Guardian's website.

Naza, the documentary that at this year's Venice Film Festival, has opened at number one at cinemas in Italy, with Italian media calling it a record for a documentary's debut. The film took €451,872 on Monday 28 September, according to Cinetel figures, an average of €1,153 per screen. That put it ahead of the Marvel re-release Avengers: Endgame Extra (€179,612) and Ultimo – Tutto. Live a Tor Vergata (€145,534). MYmovies reports more than 60,000 admissions in a single day. Distributed by I Wonder Pictures, Naza opened in 515 cinemas as part of a three-day event, from 28 to 30 September. Many screenings sold out, with Italian media reporting that the film is set to stay on the big screen beyond the planned run. Naza is directed by Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham and filmmaker Rachel Szor, who co-directed the Oscar-winning No Other Land with Palestinian colleagues Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal. The title is a Hebrew military acronym for "collateral damage". The 80-minute film is built on three years of reporting by +972 Magazine and Local Call, in partnership with The Guardian, which is among its producers. Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest, is executive producer. It centres on anonymous testimony from 24 current and former Israeli military and intelligence personnel. They were filmed at night on Tel Aviv rooftops, with their faces and voices disguised. The directors say the film examines how the system that kills Palestinian civilians works, rather than isolated war crimes by rogue soldiers. It frames what it documents as genocide, a term the film's makers say matches conclusions reached by a UN commission and several human rights groups. The film drew a fierce reaction from the Israeli government after its Venice premiere, where it received a 25-minute standing ovation. Israeli ministers called it "vile" and described the directors as "traitors in wartime" who deserve to lose their Israeli citizenship. National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the film antisemitic and told the directors to leave Israel. Culture minister Miki Zohar called for their citizenship to be revoked, a demand press freedom advocates and film industry figures condemned. Abraham and Szor say they made the film out of a duty, as Israeli journalists and filmmakers, to examine the mechanisms behind the killing of Palestinian civilians. They have offered the film free to Israeli cinemas, while The Guardian says it is considering how to show it in the occupied Palestinian territories. Naza is opening in and has also screened at the New York Film Festival. It will be free to watch online from November, streamed on The Guardian's website.