The Voice of Hind Rajab (Film)

^{Hind Rajab} (AA)

The Voice of Hind Rajab (Original title: The Voice of Hind Rajab) is a drama and documentary film inspired by a real event that occurred during Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip. A co-production between Tunisia, France, and Qatar, the 89-minute film is written and directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, with production handled by Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, and James Wilson.

The film has been selected by Tunisia as its official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. It premiered globally at the Venice International Film Festival and centers on the story of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl trapped inside a vehicle under Israeli fire in Gaza.

^{The Vehicle in Which Hind and Her Family Were Located} (AA)

The film is based on the events of 29 January 2024 in the Tel al-Heva neighborhood of Gaza. Hind Rajab, along with her uncle, his wife, and three cousins, was traveling in a vehicle seeking a safe shelter when it was targeted by Israeli forces. Four family members died immediately in the first attack. The 15-year-old Leyan Hamade survived the initial assault, followed by six-year-old Hind Rajab, who called the Palestinian Red Crescent to request help.

^{Simulation Showing the Most Likely Position of the Tank Based on Acoustic Ballistics Analysis (Estimated Distance: 13–23 m)}(Forensic Architecture)

^{Simulation Showing Damage (Kinetic Analysis of the Vehicle’s Position and Condition Suggests It Was Pushed from the Right Front Bumper and That the Deformation of the Front Windshield Indicates Being Crushed by a Bulldozer-Like Vehicle)}

(Forensic Architecture)

The Palestinian Red Crescent maintained a three-hour phone call with Hind to keep her connected and coordinate an ambulance response. Leyan Hamade later died. Hind, still alive on the line, pleaded with the Red Crescent operators: “They’re all dead, come get me, I don’t want to be left alone here. I’m so scared, please send someone to take me.” In her final conversation with her mother, Wissam, she said: “Don’t leave me, Mother. I’m tired, I’m thirsty, and I’m wounded.”

The Palestinian Red Crescent, citing increasing losses among its personnel, stated it sought official permission from the Israeli military before entering combat zones. After hours of negotiation, Israel granted permission, and an ambulance was dispatched. As it approached the targeted vehicle, the ambulance was struck. The final radio transmission from the medics to the Red Crescent center ended with the words: “a, there it is.”

^{Yusuf el-Zeino and Ahmed el-Madhoun}

(Democracy Now!)

After Israeli forces withdrew from the area, the vehicle was reached on 10 February 2024, where the bodies of Hind Rajab and her family were found. Investigations determined that the vehicle had been struck by a total of 335 bullets.

Additionally, the bodies of the two Palestinian Red Crescent medics sent to rescue Hind—Yusuf el-Zeino and Ahmed el-Madhoun—were found completely burned inside their own ambulance. Hind Rajab has become a global symbol of the thousands of children and civilians killed in Gaza.

^{The Voice of Hind Rajab Trailer}(tabii)" youtube-video-element-format="right" youtube-video-id="HXpZ2xjavKc">

The Voice of Hind Rajab opens with the emergency call received by Palestinian Red Crescent volunteers on 29 January 2024. The film is built entirely upon original archival audio recordings made by the Red Crescent during the incident and later released to the public. While volunteers struggled to keep the line open and did everything possible to dispatch an ambulance, the film preserves the raw emotional weight of the moment.

Director Kaouther Ben Hania adopted a method that blurs the boundaries between documentary and fiction. In a deliberate artistic and ethical decision, she avoided reenacting Hind’s emergency call with an actor; instead, the film uses the child’s actual voice recordings. During filming, actors wore headphones to listen to these real recordings while delivering their lines, enabling them not to perform but to directly experience the moment as it unfolded.

The actors stated that during production, they did not act out scenes but lived through the events as shaped by the emotional impact of the real audio recordings, describing it as a profound responsibility.

Rather than reporting the events from an external perspective, the film aims to generate empathy in viewers. The story unfolds entirely within a single location—the Palestinian Red Crescent’s operations room—because it was deemed the most honest and minimal way to reflect the tragedy. The narrative focuses on the testimonies and psychological ordeal of the Red Crescent personnel on the other end of the phone.

Director Kaouther Ben Hania described the film’s purpose in these words:

“Hind’s voice is the voice of Gaza. It is a cry for help that the entire world heard but no one answered. Hind’s voice will continue to echo until accountability is achieved and justice is delivered. Cinema cannot bring Hind back or erase the injustice done to her. But cinema can preserve her voice and ensure it resonates beyond borders.”^【1】

In her remarks, the director also emphasized that Hind Rajab’s mother and sister remain in Gaza, enduring daily fear, hunger, and bombardment, and that their survival is a matter of justice and humanity.

^{The Voice of Hind Rajab at the Venice Film Festival}(DawnNews English)" youtube-video-element-format="right" youtube-video-id="224zV7d6EIk">

The film has been met with intense critical attention and emotional resonance from cinema authorities and international press. At its world premiere on 3 September 2025 at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the audience and cinema professionals stood and applauded for 23 minutes, marking the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history.

Following this historic reception, at the beginning of the festival’s press conference, director Kaouther Ben Hania and the cast were again applauded for an extended period by journalists. Throughout the festival, the film was regarded as Lido Peninsula’s most discussed, powerful, and attention-grabbing work.

The film’s technical production, artistic direction, sound design, and financing involved the following individuals:

• Director and Screenwriter: Kaouther Ben Hania
• Producers: Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, James Wilson
• Executive Producer: Elizabeth Woodward
• Co-Producer: Sawsan Asfari
• Director of Photography: Juan Sarmiento G.
• Editors: Qutaiba Barhamji, Maxime Mathis, Kaouther Ben Hania
• Production Designer: Bassem Marzouk
• Sound Design: Elias Boughedir, Gwennolé LeBorgne, Marion Papinot
• Sound Mixing: Amal Attia
• Music: Amine Bouhafa
• Assistant Director: Marie Fischer
• Distributor: MAD Solutions

Following initial funding, several globally recognized figures—including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jonathan Glazer—joined the project as executive producers, enhancing its international reach. Co-producer Sawsan Asfari highlighted the challenges faced in financing and distribution, emphasizing the film’s role in using art and culture to raise awareness during periods of military and ethnic cleansing.

Since its release, the film has been honored with numerous awards and nominated for many prestigious international cinema prizes.

• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award – Cinema for UNICEF
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – UNICEF Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Italian Red Cross (Croce Rossa Italiana) Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Edipo Re Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Arca CinemaGiovani Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Young Cinema Award
• 2025 Chicago International Film Festival – Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize
• 2025 San Sebastián International Film Festival – Donostia / San Sebastian City Audience Award
• 2025 Ghent International Film Festival – Grand Prize (Best Film)
• 2025 Hamptons International Film Festival – Brizzolara Family Foundation Conflict and Resolution Film Award
• 2025 La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival – Audience Award (Prix du public)
• 2025 Women Film Critics Circle Awards – Best Foreign Language Film by or about Women
• 2025 Capri, Hollywood – Capri Humanitarian Award
• 2026 Cinema Eye Honors Awards – Heterodox Award
• 2026 Spanish Actors Union – Special Award

• 2026 Academy Awards (Oscars) – Best International Feature Film Nominee (Representing Tunisia)
• 2026 BAFTA Awards – Best Film Not in the English Language Nominee
• 2026 Golden Globe Awards – Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language Nominee
• 2025 Venice Film Festival – Golden Lion for Best Film Nominee
• 2026 European Film Awards – European Film Nominee
• 2026 European Film Awards – European Sound Designer Nominee
• 2025 Chicago International Film Festival – Best Film (Golden Hugo) Nominee
• 2025 Ghent International Film Festival – Grand Prize (Best Film) Nominee
• 2025 BFI London Film Festival – Official Competition Best Film Nominee
• 2026 David di Donatello Awards – Best Foreign Film Nominee
• 2026 Satellite Awards – Best International Motion Picture Nominee
• 2026 Lumière Awards – Best International Co-Production Nominee
• 2026 German Camera Award – Best Cinematography Nominee (On behalf of Juan Sarmiento G.)
• 2025 Asia Pacific Screen Awards – Best Screenplay Nominee (On behalf of Kaouther Ben Hania)
• 2025 Arab Film Critics Awards – Best Editing Nominee
• 2026 CinEuphoria Awards – Best Supporting Male Actor Nominee (On behalf of Motaz Malhees)
• 2026 Girls on Film Awards – Best Editing Nominee (On behalf of Kaouther Ben Hania)
• 2025 New York Film Critics Online Awards – Best International Film Nominee
• 2025 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards – Best Foreign Language Film Nominee
• 2025 Online Film Critics Society Awards – Best International Film Nominee
• 2025 British Film Critics Association Awards – Director of the Year Nominee (On behalf of Kaouther Ben Hania)

The film was selected as the Opening Night Film of the 2025 Doha Film Festival (DFF), hosted by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), and screened at Katara Cultural Village. In Türkiye, it was shown in a special screening at Atlas 1948 Cinema and later had a widely attended gala in Ankara before its general release. Additionally, on the second anniversary of Hind Rajab’s death, a special screening was held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, with approximately 250 attendees and supported by the Turkish Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Following the screening, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset noted that the film reminded the world of its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. The film has been classified with a 18+ age rating in international evaluations.

The film’s international success and the public awareness it generated have also influenced legal processes. In the United States, lawmakers introduced a legislative proposal titled the Justice for Hind Rajab Act, aimed at holding those responsible for her death accountable.