The Venice Film Festival is set to open with one of its most politically charged titles in recent memory. Hollywood figures including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rooney Mara have signed on as executive producers of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the new film from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The move has elevated the project’s global profile just days before its world premiere in competition on September 3.
The drama reconstructs the harrowing story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car under Israeli fire during the Gaza conflict in January 2024. Hind had been travelling with her aunt, uncle, and four cousins when the vehicle came under attack. As the family was killed around her, the girl stayed on the phone with Red Crescent volunteers, her voice becoming a haunting record of the failed rescue attempt.
Ben Hania, whose earlier works Four Daughters and The Man Who Sold His Skin both received Oscar nominations, uses a mix of documentary material and dramatic reconstruction to tell the story. Investigations conducted by independent outlets later confirmed that Israeli tanks were in the area, contradicting official denials. Forensic analysis mapped hundreds of bullet holes in the car where Hind was found.
Joining Pitt and Phoenix on the producing team are Jonathan Glazer, Alfonso Cuarón, and Dede Garner of Plan B. The film has also secured support from Film4 in the UK and Saudi Arabia’s MBC Studio. Ahead of its Venice debut, distribution deals have already been struck across Europe, with CAA Media Finance handling sales in North America.
The premiere comes against the backdrop of the continuing war in Gaza and mounting humanitarian concerns. Hundreds of filmmakers and artists, including Ken Loach and Céline Sciamma, have called on the festival to condemn what they describe as genocide. With protests planned on the Lido during the opening days, The Voice of Hind Rajab is likely to be at the centre of both cinematic and political conversations in Venice this year.
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