Directors and producers of The Voice of Hind Rajab pose with a portrait of Hind Rajab at its Venice Film Festival premiere.
VIDEO: 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' receives record 23-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival
A new film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, about a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza, received a powerful and record-breaking 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday.
The emotional docu-drama left much of the audience in tears and prompted chants of "Free Palestine" and the waving of Palestinian flags.
The film, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara serving as executive producers, recounts the final hours of Hind Rajab.
In January 2024, she was trapped in a car in Gaza, surrounded by the bodies of her family, all of whom were killed by Israeli' fire. Hiding beneath a seat and the sole survivor, Hind made a desperate phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) pleading for rescue.
The film makes chilling use of the real phone recordings of Hind's final calls to the PRCS, while actors portray the rescue team.
The film's premiere, which was attended by Phoenix and Mara, was described by critics as "the most powerful and urgent entry of this year's festival." Following the screening, members of the cast and crew, including actor Saja Kilani, held up a picture of Hind during the prolonged ovation. Kilani delivered a statement saying, "Hind's story carries the weight of an entire people, it is not hers alone."
Ben Hania told reporters that she was compelled to make the film after hearing Hind's voice. "When I first heard the voice of Hind Rajab, there was something beyond her words. It was the voice of Gaza itself calling for help – and no one could reach her," she said.
The 'Israeli' military has not announced a formal investigation into the case. However, a United Nations report in July 2024, citing forensic analysis, found that Hind’s car was shot at from “very close range using a type of weapon that can only be attributed to the Israeli forces.” The Israeli military has not commented on the incident, stating that the matter is still under review.
