The 82nd Venice International Film Festival concluded with a powerful and historic win for Palestinian cinema as THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB — by acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and Tunisia’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards — was awarded the prestigious Grand Jury Prize.
 
A harrowing docu-drama based on the true story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the film’s victory follows a record-breaking 22-minute standing ovation at its sold-out world premiere — the longest in the festival’s history — culminating in theater-wide chants to “Free Palestine.” Soon after, the film became not only the talk of the festival but also a focal point for press and media worldwide.
 
Ben Hania, who accepted the award on stage, delivered a stirring and impressive speech that served as a searing call to conscience, dedicating the prize to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the “heroes” of the first response teams who risked their lives in the face of unimaginable violence.
 
“Hind’s voice was a cry for rescue the entire world could hear, but no one answered,” Ben Hania said. “Her voice will continue to echo until accountability and justice is served. Cinema cannot bring her back, nor can it erase the atrocity that was committed against her. But cinema can preserve her voice.”
 
“This is not just Hind’s story, it is the story of a criminal Israeli regime that acts with impunity… May Hind rest in peace, may the eyes of her killers never sleep, and free Palestine,” she continued.
 
January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A six-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab. The film uses real-life voice recordings between Hind and the Red Crescent correspondents that attempted to rescue her from the unrelenting Israeli attack.
 
Earlier, Deadline announced the film’s backing by Hollywood topshots Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Alfonso Cuarón, who are onboard as executive producers, along with Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner through their company Plan B, also received “In Association With” credits, as did Film4 and MBC Studios.
 
Other prominent public figures who joined the project as executive producers include journalist and producer Jemima Khan, Canadian businessman and Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra, and jewelry designer and social figure Sabine Getty.
 
Details of the film’s upcoming festival trajectory have also emerged, ensuring that the story of Hind is told on a worldwide platform as it heads to the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by the BFI London Film Festival, the Perlak section of the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, and the World Cinema section of the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.
 
The film — a Tunisian-French co-production starring Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees, and Saja Kilani filmed in Tunisia — is being handled for worldwide sales by Paris-based The Party Film Sales, which is co-representing the North American rights with CAA Media Finance.
 
Meanwhile, MAD Distribution is handling theatrical and cultural rights in the Arab World.
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB brings together Mime Films (Tunisia), Tanit Films (France), is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha as well as Odessa Rae and James Wilson, and is made in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent.
 
Kaouther Ben Hania is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the Arab World, known for her bold storytelling and cinematic innovation. Her 2023 film FOUR DAUGHTERS won the l’Oeil d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards. Her 2020 feature, THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN, was nominated for Best International Feature and won Best Actor at Venice’s Horizons Section.
 
Earlier works like BEAUTY AND THE DOGS, ZAINEB HATES THE SNOW, and CHALLAT OF TUNIS have also earned international acclaim.