82nd VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania.
- ultimatetrendymag
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
The Voice of Hind Rajab is a powerful and deeply moving docudrama, one that doesn’t focus on graphic violence but instead channels its force through the emotional weight of a child’s cry—and the silence that follows.
Article and photos by Marco Lorè
The film is built around the real recordings of the last phone call made by Hind Rajab, a Palestinian girl trapped in a car under Israeli fire during the Gaza invasion in January 2024.
Director Kaouther Ben Hania sets the narrative entirely inside the call center of the Palestinian Red Crescent, where operators try to comfort Hind while waiting for help. The stark, almost sterile setting contrasts with the raw intensity of the audio, amplifying the sense of helplessness and turning the control room into the beating heart of a suspended humanity—caught between tragedy and fragile hope.
The film’s power doesn’t come from shocking images, but from absence: everything is conveyed through sound, broken words, and pauses heavy with fear.
A single on-screen detail—“355 bullets” fired at the ambulance—is enough to resonate louder than any graphic footage.
Critics praised Ben Hania’s restrained and sober approach, one that shakes the audience without resorting to sensationalism.
At its premiere, the film stunned the Venice Film Festival audience, earning a 23-minute and 50-second standing ovation—the longest ever recorded at a major festival.
The screening ended with the crowd rising in unison, chanting “Free Palestine.”
The reception turned the film into more than cinema—it became a political and moral statement, reflecting the heightened atmosphere at a festival marked by protests over Gaza.
It won the prestigious Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, cementing its artistic and political significance. It was also chosen as Tunisia’s official entry for the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
The Voice of Hind Rajab dares the audience not to look away—not for spectacle, but for testimony. The film literally gives voice to a child’s final words, turning them into a collective moral reckoning.
As one critic put it: “It’s hard to find the words, but I hope many people see this film.”
This is not just cinema. It’s memory, protest, and responsibility. The involvement of internationally renowned executive producers (Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, among others) gave the project visibility, but it’s the audience’s stunned silence and prolonged ovation that sealed its power.
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