The Voice of Hind Rajab: film backed by global stars earns the longest standing ovation

In January 2024, a tragic event in Gaza captured global attention: a young Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, was trapped in a car under fire and made an emergency call to the Palestinian Red Crescent pleading for rescue. Over hours, she stayed on the line, saying “please come, I am scared,” until the line cut off and she, her family members, and the medics who tried to reach her were later found dead.

Investigations suggest that her vehicle was struck by over 300 rounds during the assault, and the ambulance sent to help may also have come under fire. Learn more about the killing of Hind on this blog.

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania decided to dramatise this heartbreaking episode. The result: The Voice of Hind Rajab (Arabic: Ṣawt Hind Rajab), a 2025 docudrama that stitches together the real audio recordings of Hind’s final calls and a scripted portrayal of the dispatchers and rescuers attempting to reach her.

Ben Hania has said she structured the film in a single location, refusing to show graphic violence; instead, the horror is felt via the audio, the waiting, and the silence.

Festival acclaim

The Voice of Hind Rajab premiered on 3 September 2025 at the Venice International Film Festival, competing for the Golden Lion. The screening ended in a 23-minute standing ovation – the longest at Venice that year.

Audience members reportedly waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Free Palestine” following the film. Critics immediately hailed it as one of the most powerful entries of the festival.

The film went on to win the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, and was later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the San Sebastián Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. A powerful march against the genocide in Gaza followed its screening in Spain, joined by over 350 film professionals.

Critics praised its restraint and impact:

• Variety called it “a crushing docudrama.”
• Deadline commended its courage and emotional weight.
• The Guardian described it as “devastating and necessary.”

A global call to witness

The Voice of Hind Rajab is a call to remember, to listen, and to act. It refuses the erasure of Palestinian suffering, giving voice to a child silenced by war.

The film has drawn international support from Hollywood’s biggest names:

• Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix served as executive producers through Plan B Entertainment.
• Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jonathan Glazer also backed the project.
• Producers included Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, and James Wilson.
• It was co-produced by Film4, MBC Studios, Tanit Films, Watermelon Pictures, and Mime Films.

Their involvement ensured the story of Hind Rajab was lifted onto a global platform, not just artistically, but politically.

Its journey so far shows the power of storytelling to challenge indifference, mobilise public consciousness, and speak truth to power – even when that truth is uncomfortable.

This is a film the world cannot ignore.