{"id":113620,"date":"2025-10-10T15:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/113620\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T15:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:25:08","slug":"the-voice-of-hind-rajab-remains-without-a-u-s-distributor-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/113620\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Voice Of\u00a0Hind\u00a0Rajab\u2019 Remains Without A U.S. Distributor: Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t
A timely subject, rave reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), festival accolades, an acclaimed director, the longest ever festival ovation<\/a>, and a host of A-list supporters would normally all-but guarantee a movie U.S. distribution. Plenty of films this year have found a home with less in their corners.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd yet, The Voice of\u00a0Hind\u00a0Rajab, the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion winner<\/a> directed by two-time Oscar nominee Kaouther Ben Hania, remains without a U.S. home.<\/p>\n

\n\tA quick U.S. sale was expected by sources at seller CAA Media Finance. This is a boom-time for foreign films. We understand there have been a couple of proposals but little so far that has approached the norm for a film of this status. The fact it hasn\u2019t sold yet has left many surprised. \u201cHas that movie really not sold yet?\u201d one leading producer messaged.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Arabic-language film, Tunisia\u2019s Oscar entry<\/a>, tells the story of six-year old\u00a0Palestinian girl Hind\u00a0Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces last year. She and her family were fleeing Gaza City when their vehicle was shelled, also killing Rajab\u2019s uncle, aunt, and three cousins.\u00a0Rajab\u00a0and another cousin initially survived the attack and contacted the Palestine Red Crescent Society by phone from their car seeking aid. But the car was later found with\u00a0Rajab\u00a0and the paramedics who had come to help her all dead.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe incident sparked global protests, including at Columbia University, where students renamed Hamilton Hall as\u00a0Hind\u2019s Hall. In her film, Tunisian filmmaker\u00a0Ben Hania\u00a0weaved in the original recording of\u00a0Rajab\u2019s final phone call to what critics described<\/a> as devastating effect.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe killings took place some three months into Israel\u2019s ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 terror attacks, which killed 1,200 people. The Palestinian death toll now stands at 67,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and Gaza is in ruins. The U.N. has denounced Israel\u2019s actions as genocide. There is renewed hope today of a ceasefire and return of remaining hostages.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Oscars 2026 International Feature Film Submissions By Country<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Voice Of Hind Rajab<\/a> isn\u2019t a starry project, but\u00a0Brad Pitt,\u00a0Joaquin Phoenix,\u00a0Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuaron and Jonathan Glazer are among heavyweights<\/a> to get behind the feature as executive producers. Following a record 23-minute ovation at its emotionally charged Venice premiere, the film has gone on to play at festivals around the world, including in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\n\tInternational buyers have flocked to it. Italian distributor I Wonder Pictures launched the film locally two weeks ago to a fourth-place opening and $500,000 from 400 screens, a strong debut for a foreign-language film. It has now crossed $1M and took a similar box office in its second frame to Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell new release A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and Neon\u2019s horror breakout Together.<\/p>\n

\t\t\u201cBuyers Are Passing Out Of Fear\u201d\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSo why hasn\u2019t\u00a0The Voice of Hind Rajab\u00a0been picked up stateside? All three of Ben Hania\u2019s previous films got U.S. distribution from established buyers. We spoke to a dozen U.S. and international distributors, financiers and producers to get their take. None wanted to speak on the record.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne leading U.S. buyer, who expressed strong interest in the film, claimed: \u201cBuyers are passing out of fear and\/or they disagree with the film\u2019s politics. I am very surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis buyer cited \u201ca full slate\u201d as the reason they couldn\u2019t take it on.<\/p>\n

\n\tA key arthouse outfit explained: \u201cWe have been very interested in the movie, but it just got to the point where it seemed futile for us to make a thoughtful offer based on our calibration of what the potential was, with the expectation that a sale to a major pay-one streamer was unlikely\u2026in addition to that, the awards season is already well underway. Trying to position this film properly in such a short amount of time is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe asking price is understood to be in the mid-six figures, which isn\u2019t an insignificant amount. And it\u2019s certainly true that the wariness of streamers is a problem for many \u201cchallenging\u201d films these days. And yet Oscar winner\u00a0No Other Land, about the occupied West Bank, made $2.5 million in U.S. theaters alone last year, suggesting there is an audience for Palestinian stories.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother U.S. buyer proffered: \u201cWhile everyone acknowledges it is essentially an automatic ticket to the awards race, it feels almost cynical to acquire it purely for that reason. And no matter one\u2019s politics, it will be a lightning rod that will overshadow anything else a given distributor will be handling this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA company like Mubi would seemingly be a good fit. But that company has been fighting a PR battle for months<\/a> over the Israeli military connections of its latest financial backer Sequoia. A film like this could intensify that existing glare or see that glare turned on the film to negative effect. Sources at the company declined to comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne European distribution vet posited: \u201cFor a U.S. distributor, acquiring a film like\u00a0The Voice of Hind Rajab\u00a0isn\u2019t just about believing in the quality of the work \u2014 it also means committing resources to defend it against inevitable attacks from multiple sides. That requires not only money for marketing and publicity, but also a team that\u2019s ready to handle controversy in a very polarized environment. Many distributors simply don\u2019t have the bandwidth or the appetite for that kind of battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA source close to the movie contended: \u201cYou can dress it up all you like, but ultimately the film hasn\u2019t been picked up due to fear. In my view, it\u2019s an unfounded fear, when counterbalanced with the artistic merit and commercial prospects of the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA Hollywood financier we spoke with refuted the notion of a silent boycott of the film. \u201cIt\u2019s just not true that there is a campaign in Hollywood or within the country at large to censor Palestinian stories or voices. I don\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tWhose Context Is It Anyway\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile there aren\u2019t many Palestinian films to test that theory against, the recent returns are mixed.\u00a0No Other Land\u00a0went down the self-distribution route after the filmmakers supposedly didn\u2019t get a deal they liked (despite sources telling us there were offers). Cannes 2025 movie\u00a0Once Upon a Time in Gaza\u00a0hasn\u2019t found a home yet. There do remain those willing to stick their necks out: Watermelon Pictures, which specializes in Palestinian and Arab stories, is releasing Annemarie Jacir\u2019s\u00a0Palestine 36\u00a0and Cherien Dabis\u2019 lauded Sundance drama All That\u2019s Left of You (which has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), while Kino Lorber acquired Cannes documentary\u00a0Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk\u00a0about photojournalist Fatma Hassouna\u2019s life in Gaza. Hassouna was tragically killed<\/a> by an Israeli airstrike in April 2025, shortly before the film was selected for Cannes. Richard Lorber\u2019s company is understood to be high on the film\u2019s chances of cutting through.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne U.S. distributor contended that Hind Rajab\u2019s subject matter would be off-putting to a non-Hollywood audience: \u201cI think in general it speaks to distributors realizing that despite the noise inside the bubble of Hollywood, moviegoers don\u2019t want to be proselytized to on a topic they can readily engross themselves in, if they choose to, via a variety of media from their home or on their device of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThey added about potential industry reservations over the film: \u201cHollywood is an industry in part built by Jews fleeing the Holocaust, so there being resistance to the film should not come as a surprise. The film doesn\u2019t contextualize the events depicted as part of a response to a murdering, raping, kidnapping spree of religious-motivated terrorist violence generated by the democratically elected governing power in Gaza. I\u2019m shocked anyone is shocked the film hasn\u2019t been warmly received by the Hollywood industry outside of a few reflexively anti-Zionist and anti-Israel actors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOctober 7 was also brought up by a\u00a0Hollywood producer we spoke to: \u201cYou cannot tell a story right now of anything post-October 7 without contextualizing October 7. You can\u2019t skip it or minimize it, because it\u2019s not a small part of the context.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn response to this, a source close to the movie countered: \u201cI think there is ideology in the suggestion that this film should address October 7. The heinous, appalling and unjustifiable massacre of October 7 followed decades of violence. The region has seen a very long cycle of violence and oppression. There is a broader political conversation about what qualifies as context, but how many films about events in war lead with title cards detailing longer political histories? Did Warfare open with title cards detailing the history or context of the Iraq War? Did American Sniper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe hear there\u2019s still a chance the film finds a buyer but at the moment there\u2019s a stronger likelihood it goes down a self-distribution route after raising a P&A fund.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, the question of whether a U.S. streamer or studio would countenance The Voice of Hind Rajab today is a pertinent one. In recent years, filmmakers have expressed growing concerns about studios and streamers shying away from \u201cchallenging\u201d material.<\/p>\n

\n\tTwenty years ago, the political and industry landscapes were different; not without their own challenges, but different. Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad\u2019s acclaimed and nuanced psychological drama Paradise Now, about two childhood friends preparing a suicide attack in Israel, was picked up by studio division Warner Independent in 2005. While there was criticism from some corners about the film\u2019s subject, Warners stood by the film, which took $1.5 million theatrically in U.S. and went on to win a Golden Globe and be Oscar nominated. Eight years later, the same director\u2019s similarly acclaimed film Omar, about a young Palestinian who agrees to work as an informant after being wrongly implicated in an Israeli soldier\u2019s death, found a home with New York-based Adopt Films whose campaign also propelled it to an Oscar nomination.<\/p>\n

\t\tAmerica\u2019s Shift To The Right\t<\/p>\n

\n\tFor a film such as Paradise Now to find a studio buyer today feels an outlandish notion.<\/p>\n

\n\tFormer Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger<\/a>, speaking on a recent Deadline-moderated film distribution panel at the Zurich Summit, told the audience that he doubted whether in this political climate even a movie such as Bowling For Columbine could get a theatrical release.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmerica\u2019s shift to the right under Donald Trump is not the deep wound to Hollywood leaders that many assumed it would be. We\u2019ve entered a new reality where a vaunted comedian can be yanked off air following criticism from conservatives and Trump officials. How many studio bosses have publicly lamented Trump\u2019s erosion of DEI? Doing side deals with the President is now seen as a necessary evil in order to focus on \u201cthe things that matter.\u201d These seemingly include greasing the wheels for other\u00a0deals with his administration and installing executives favorable to the President and his culture wars agenda.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne studio boss we spoke with privately in recent weeks admitted to being \u201cterrified\u201d to do or say anything that might incur Trump\u2019s wrath.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis is the backdrop to a movie like Hind Rajab not getting a deal: a backdrop of increasing fear of political reprisal [see The Apprentice\u2019s journey<\/a>], social media toxicity and studio realignment. It\u2019s not the only reason it hasn\u2019t been bought, but many we spoke with believe it\u2019s a contributing factor.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe suspension of Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>, the indictment of James Comey<\/a> and the use of troops in Portland and other U.S. cities is indicative of a culture in which there is growing pressure to boycott dissent against the current American administration,\u201d one festival executive lamented. \u201cPlaying a film where a director has said \u2018Just as people know the name of Anne Frank, they should know Hind Rajab\u2019, is going to fall into that category. Tech bros are doing their best to accommodate the President; is it any wonder that indie distributors may be similarly minded given their financial survival is under even greater threat?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A timely subject, rave reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), festival accolades, an acclaimed director, the longest ever festival…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[18,117,19,17,327,31189,11492],"class_list":{"0":"post-113620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-the-voice-of-hind-rajab","14":"tag-venice-film-festival"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}