| The Voice of Hind Rajab | |
|---|---|
 Italian promotional poster | |
| Arabic | صوت هند رجب |
| Directed by | Kaouther Ben Hania |
| Written by | Kaouther Ben Hania |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Juan Sarmiento G.[1] |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Amine Bouhafa |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | The Party Film Sales (France) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 89 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Arabic |
| Box office | $1.4 million[3] |
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Arabic:صوت هند رجب,romanized: Ṣawt Hind Rajab) is a 2025docudrama film[4] written and directed byKaouther Ben Hania. It follows theRed Crescent response to thekilling of Hind Rajab, a five-year-oldPalestinian girl killed by theIsrael Defense Forces during theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[5][6]
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the82nd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2025, where it won theGrand Jury Prize and other six parallel prizes.[7][8] It was theatrically released in Tunisia on 10 September.[8] It was selected as the Tunisian entry for theBest International Feature Film at the98th Academy Awards.[9]
The film's official synopsis is as follows:[5]
January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.
In May 2025, it was announcedKaouther Ben Hania had directed an untitled film, withprincipal photography concluding inTunisia. Nadim Cheikhrouha,Odessa Rae andJames Wilson serve as producers.[10][11]Brad Pitt,Joaquin Phoenix,Rooney Mara,Jonathan Glazer,Alfonso Cuarón,Jemima Khan,Frank Giustra,Guillaume Rambourg,Elizabeth Woodward, Sarah Rambourg, andSabine Getty are among the executive producers.[12][2]
I was in the middle of the Oscar campaign forFour Daughters, and mentally preparing to finally enter pre-production on a film I had been writing for ten years. Then, during a layover at LAX, everything shifted. I heard an audio recording of Hind Rajab begging for help. By then, her voice had already spread across the internet. I contacted the Red Crescent and asked them to let me hear the full audio. It was about 70 minutes long, and harrowing. After listening to it, I knew, without a doubt, that I had to drop everything else. I had to make this film. I spoke at length with Hind's mother, with the real people who were on the other end of that call, those who tried to help her.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the82nd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2025, where it was nominated for theGolden Lion. It also screened at the2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations section on 7 September 2025.[13][14] Prior to the film's premiere,Brad Pitt,Joaquin Phoenix,Rooney Mara,Alfonso Cuarón,Jonathan Glazer,Dede Gardner andJeremy Kleiner onboarded as executive producers.[15][2] It also received a screening in the Perlak section of the73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, earning a 9.52/10 score from the moviegoers voting for the City of Donostia / San Sebastián Audience Award, the highest score ever achieved at the festival.[16][17]
The film is one of three films onPalestinian history to besubmitted to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film – the others beingAll That's Left of You andPalestine 36.[18][19][20] The lack of distribution by American studios for the Palestinian films submitted for the98th Academy Awards, generated controversy online and among executive producers, who reportedly were "passing [the film] out of fear".[21] Few months earlier, the Palestine documentaryNo Other Land (2024) went to win theAcademy Award for Best Documentary without the involvement of any American distributors, the producers end up self-distributing the film in a small number of screens.
It was released in Tunisian cinemas on September 10, 2025.[8]
The film will open the 1st edition of the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema inDeir al-Balah on 26 October 2025.[22]
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On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 97% of 33 critics' reviews are positive.[23]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24] The film received a 23 minutes and 50 seconds standing ovation at its Venice premiere, beating the previous record for longest recorded applause at a film festival ofPan's Labyrinth which had received a 22 minutes standing ovation at the2006 Cannes Film Festival.[25]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice International Film Festival | 6 September 2025 | Golden Lion | Kaouther Ben Hania | Nominated | [26][27] |
| Grand Jury Prize | Won | ||||
| ARCA CinemaGiovani Award – Best Film of Venezia 81 | Won | [28] | |||
| CICT - UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award | Won | ||||
| Croce Rossa Italiana Award | Won | ||||
| Edipo Re Award | Won | ||||
| Leoncino d'Oro Award | Won | ||||
| Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award for Best Foreign Film | Won | ||||
| UNIMED Award | Won | ||||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 27 September 2025 | City of Donostia / San Sebastián Audience Award for Best Film | The Voice of Hind Rajab | Won | [29] |
| Film Fest Gent | 18 October 2025 | Grand Prix for Best Film | Won | [30] | |
| BFI London Film Festival | 19 October 2025 | Best Film | Nominated | [31] | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 24 October 2025 | Gold Hugo | Nominated | [32][33] | |
| Jury Award | Won | [34] | |||
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 27 November 2025 | Best Screenplay | Kaouther Ben Hania | Pending | [35] |
