{"id":44522,"date":"2025-09-05T03:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T03:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/44522\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T03:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T03:15:12","slug":"the-voice-of-hind-rajab-surges-after-22-minute-venice-ovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/44522\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Voice of Hind Rajab\u2019 surges after 22-minute Venice ovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tunisia\u2019s 2026 Oscars<\/a> submission for Best International Feature<\/a> is already generating major buzz. Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania<\/a><\/strong> (Four Daughters, The Man Who Sold His Skin), The Voice of Hind Rajab<\/a> premiered at the Venice Film Festival, earning a 22-minute standing ovation \u2014 a festival record \u2014 and quickly emerging as one of the season\u2019s most talked-about contenders.<\/p>\n

This marks Ben Hania\u2019s return to the awards race following her 2024 Oscar nomination for Four Daughters in Best Documentary Feature. Tunisia previously made history when her 2020 film The Man Who Sold His Skin became the country\u2019s first-ever nominee for Best International Feature.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/a> \"Justin<\/a> <\/p>\n

The film also arrives with significant Hollywood support. Executive producers include Brad Pitt<\/strong>, Joaquin Phoenix<\/strong>, Rooney Mara<\/strong>, Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n<\/strong>, Jonathan Glazer<\/strong>, and Pitt\u2019s Plan B partners Dede Gardner<\/strong> and Jeremy Kleiner<\/strong>. Phoenix and Mara attended the Venice premiere alongside one of the film’s stars, Motaz Malhees<\/strong>, who was carrying a portrait of Hind Rajab<\/strong>, the 6-year-old at the heart of the story.<\/p>\n

\"\"(L to R): Joaquin Phoenix, James Wilson, Rooney Mara, Andrea Romeio, Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Nadim Cheikhrouha, Kaouther Ben Hania, Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, and Odessa Rae attend the The Voice of Hind Rajab red carpet during the 82nd Venice International Film FestivalPascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"\"A portrait of Hind Rajab held by Motaz Malhees during the The Voice o Hind Rajab red carpet premiereMassimo Rosi\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

What’s is about? <\/p>\n

The Voice of Hind Rajab is a drama based on the real-life tragedy of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed during the war in Gaza. In January 2024, while fleeing Gaza City with her family, Hind\u2019s car was shelled, leaving her stranded.<\/p>\n

The film incorporates Hind\u2019s actual recorded voice from her emergency call with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, capturing her pleas for help as paramedics attempted to rescue her. When responders finally reached the site, both Hind and the medics were found dead. Unable to film in Gaza, Ben Hania reconstructed the Red Crescent call center and cast Palestinian actors to portray the responders, with Hind\u2019s verified audio forming the emotional core of the film.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s behind the camera<\/p>\n

Oscar nominee Kaouther Ben Hania wrote and directed the film with cinematography by Juan Sarmiento G<\/strong>. (A Poet, Islands) and music from Amine Bouhafa<\/strong> (Gagarine, Timbuktu). The film is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha<\/strong>, Odessa Rae<\/strong>, and James Wilson<\/strong>. Executive producers include Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n, Jonathan Glazer, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner.<\/p>\n

Will it be released in the U.S.? <\/p>\n

An official release date has not been announced, though a late 2025 rollout is expected to position the film for maximum visibility ahead of the 2026 Oscars<\/a>. Following its Sept. 3 premiere in Venice, the film will make its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n

Currently, there is no U.S. distribution deal in place. The film\u2019s subject matter could make it a challenging sell for distributors. Last year\u2019s Best Documentary Feature winner, No Other Land \u2014 which chronicled the destruction of the occupied West Bank\u2019s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers \u2014 struggled to secure U.S. distribution <\/a>and ultimately launched its own theatrical release. While The Voice of Hind Rajab could face similar hurdles, the involvement of its high-profile executive producers significantly increases the likelihood that a stateside deal will be secured.<\/p>\n

Who’s in the cast?<\/p>\n

The film features an all-Palestinian cast, including Saja Kilani<\/strong>, Motaz Malhees<\/strong>, Clara Khoury<\/strong>, and Amer Hlehel<\/strong>. At the Venice press conference, Kilani read a statement on behalf of the filmmaking team, saying: \u201cHind\u2019s story carries the weight of an entire people \u2026 Her voice is one amongst thousands of children who lost their lives in Gaza. Beyond every number is a story that never got to be told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oscar chances<\/p>\n

With its Venice acclaim, emotionally charged subject matter, and the backing of industry heavyweights, The Voice of Hind Rajab has already emerged as a top contender for Best International Feature. Ben Hania\u2019s rising profile \u2014 bolstered by Oscar recognition for both Four Daughters and The Man Who Sold His Skin \u2014 further strengthens the film\u2019s campaign. <\/p>\n

With the Academy\u2019s increasingly international membership, the film could even cross over into other major categories, including Best Director and Best Picture. It currently holds a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is nominated for the Venice Film Festival\u2019s Golden Lion, an honor that helped propel past Oscar favorites like Poor Things and Nomadland into the awards spotlight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tunisia\u2019s 2026 Oscars submission for Best International Feature is already generating major buzz. Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[32186,33434,18,117,16099,19,17,31188,7012,31189,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-44522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-2026-oscars","9":"tag-best-international-feature","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-fyc","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-kaouther-ben-hania","16":"tag-oscars","17":"tag-the-voice-of-hind-rajab","18":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44522","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=44522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}