‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ film earns 23-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” is about the tragic story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl who died in Gaza. The documentary drama has made a significant impact and received a historic 23-minute standing ovation at its premiere.

This is the longest-standing ovation in the history of the Venice Film Festival. The premier left the audience in tears, with chants of “Free, Free Palestine” echoing through the theatre.

Kaouther Ben Hania, a Franco-Tunisian filmmaker, directed the film. The story revolves around Hind Rajab, who was killed in January 2024. The film used her original voice recordings made during a call to the Red Crescent Society.

The director emphasised the importance of film in giving a voice to the war victims. She said, “We’ve seen that the narrative all around the world is that those dying in Gaza are collateral damage, in the media, and I think this is so dehumanising.”

“That’s why cinema, art, and every kind of expression is very important to give those people a voice and a face.”

She said that upon hearing Hind’s voice, she felt “it was the very voice of Gaza asking for help and nobody could enter.”

Hind Rajab got trapped in a car with the bodies of her deceased family members after their vehicle came under fire. The movie also dramatised the efforts of the Red Crescent dispatchers who tried to save her.

The film avoided displaying the graphic violence and instead focused on the psychological horror of the situation, the fear, the waiting. The camera focused within the dispatch centre, with Hind’s voice as the central element.

Several A-list Hollywood figures joined the film as executive producers. Including: Brad Pitt, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Jonathan Glazer, and Alfonso Cuarón.

Wissam Hamada, the mother of Hind Rajab, expressed her hope that the film would contribute to ending the war.

When did the war in Gaza start?

The current war in Gaza started on October 7, 2023.