A powerful new film about Gaza, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” premiered at the Venice Film Festival to an overwhelming reception, sparking a 23-minute standing ovation. However, the celebration was short-lived, as French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania revealed that the following day, her producers were inundated with thousands of intimidating hate emails. The film, a strong contender for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, has high-profile executive producers including Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, whose inboxes were targeted by the coordinated campaign.
The film dramatizes the final moments of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli fire in Gaza last year. It utilizes the real-life audio recordings of her desperate phone calls to the Red Crescent rescue service, for which Ben Hania obtained permission from Hind’s mother. Actors were employed to portray the emergency workers who tried in vain to coordinate her rescue as Israeli forces advanced. The director stated the dramatization is “very close to what they experienced” and that she felt a sense of duty and anger that compelled her to make the film.
Despite the backlash, the film has received strong critical reviews for its devastating emotional impact, though some critics have pointed to a moral grey area in using the real audio. Ben Hania has been unequivocal about her intent, stating, “I didn’t make this film to keep people comfortable in their seats.” She emphasized the importance of the festival circuit, including upcoming stops in Toronto, London, and beyond, for providing the film with maximum global visibility.
The future distribution of the film remains uncertain, as it does not yet have a U.S. distributor. However, it has already been selected as Tunisia’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards. The director hopes the platform will allow the story to be seen worldwide, underscoring the film’s purpose to bear witness to a tragic event amid the ongoing conflict.
