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The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, broke records at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.
The film, which portrays the harrowing events surrounding the killing of five-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab in Gaza, received a standing ovation of over 23 minutes.
Described as the “biggest response” to a film at the 2025 Venice Film Festival by Deadline, some of the crowd also erupted into “free Palestine” chants.
In January 2024, Hind Rajab and her family members were attempting to flee Gaza City, following the onslaught of terror and siege by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip. The car Hind and her family were travelling in came under heavy shelling, which killed her aunt, uncle and her three cousins.
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Hind remained trapped inside the vehicle for hours while on the phone with the Palestinian Red Cross Society as paramedics attempted to reach the stranded little girl. However, by the time the rescuers arrived, Hind and the medics were found dead. It was later reported that media investigations found that an Israeli tank had fired more than 300 rounds into the vehicle.
In the film, the audio of Hind’s voice is used from her final call. “Please come to me, please come. I’m scared,” the little girl is heard saying on the audio, with the sounds of bullets being fired in the background.
During the standing ovation, many Palestinian flags were raised in support of the film, with Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees, who stars in the movie, also raising a flag, which prompted the audience to erupt further in cheers.
Joaquin Phoenix, who recently signed on as an executive producer of The Voice Of Hind Rajab alongside Brad Pitt, attended the premiere and was seen wearing an Artists for Ceasefire pin during the standing ovation.
Per Al Jazeera, director Ben Hania declared ahead of the Venice Film Festival screening that the current narrative portrayed in the media of the Palestinians being killed in Gaza was “collateral damage”.
“And I think this is so dehumanising, and that’s why cinema, art and every kind of expression is very important to give those people a voice and face,” the Tunisian filmmaker said.
The docu-drama is set to be shown at the Toronto Film Festival on September 7 and has also been nominated as the Tunisian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, which will take place on March 15, 2026.
