“The Voice of Hind Rajab” director Kaouther Ben Hania and her cast were greeted with a standing ovation from journalists at the film’s Venice Film Festival press conference on Wednesday. The drama tells the true story of a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was attacked by Israeli forces in Gaza and was tied up by a car that later died, but has now become the forefront of the Golden Lion.
Saja Kilani, one of the film’s stars, held a press conference in a calm statement. “On behalf of all of us actors: Isn’t that enough? Mass murder, starvation, dehumanization, destruction, enough of the ongoing occupation,” she said.
“The voice of Hind is one of tens of thousands of children killed in the last two years. It is the voice of every daughter and every son who has the right to dream.
Ben Hania wrote and directed “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The gut-crazed film uses audio recordings between Hindrajab and Red Crescent volunteers, receiving emergency calls and trying to keep her on the line to get her an ambulance. Rajab and her family had fled Gaza city when the car was fired. I killed my uncle, aunt and three cousins. The girl was left in the car for hours on the phone to the Palestinian Red Crescent Association as she tried to rescue her. When they finally reached the car with an ambulance permitted by the Israeli army, both Rajab and the paramedics were found dead.
Just as the Venice Film Festival began, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” was aired by producers such as Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara. Phoenix and Mara attended a press conference to show their support. When asked whether they were in the film, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed that he “lost a culture war” in Hollywood, and Ben Hania said he hopes their participation “means something.”
“The stories around the world have come to be that people who die in Gaza are secondary damages. This is very inhuman. That’s why film, art, and all sorts of expression are so important.
“They are here to support the film. I’m very happy. I didn’t think that was possible in life, so I’m very grateful for their support,” added Ben Hania.
For Ben Hania, she argued that part of her “duty” in creating the voice of Hind Rajab came from seeing the Palestinians “became dehumanized in Western media.” She said she “want to give justice to those people,” but she often added that she feels that it is the cause of her loss. “One day, when I’m really depressed, I ask myself: What’s the point of making a movie? But I think it’s important.”
The impact of the story caused global condemnation as the voice of Hind’s voice from that call spread on social media. Columbia University student protesters have renamed the building to be overtaken in honor of the victim.
In addition to using real call recordings, “Voice of Hind Rajab” reconstructs a disastrous emergency using first-hand testimony and re-enactment of scripts based on transcripts.
Beyond Kirani, the entire Palestinian cast of the film consists of Motazu Malhee, Clara Cooley and Amel Flehel.
The production of the film itself was, of course, an emotional effort, and the actors didn’t actually hear Rajab’s voice until the camera rolled over.
“And the moment I heard Hind’s voice, I thought this was real. It went back to the time I had been pleading as a child for safety,” said Motazu Marie, born in the West Bank town of Jenin and the first volunteer at Red Crescent to call about the Hind Rajab emergency.
“There were two times when I couldn’t continue filming. I had a panic attack. It was tough. But it was a responsibility to me. But it didn’t feel like I was acting. It was alive.”
Co-star Clara Khoury said the entire team (the cast and crew) were frequently “in tears” during filming. “But everyone was engaged because of the cause, what was going on in Gaza, and because of the genocide that hadn’t stopped yet.”
“Justice is very important, but we’re not there yet,” Ben Hania said. “We’re saying: “Sufficient! That’s enough of this genocide. In an ideal world, I want justice for the Hind and all those killed. But we’re far from it,” she added.
Following its world premiere at the Lido competition on Wednesday, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” will make its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” was selected as a Tunisian nominee in the Oscars competition for the best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Benchania was the 2024 Oscar nominee for the best documentary feature of “Four Daughters.” Her previous feature film, The Man Who Star Skin, was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2021.
The ongoing war in Gaza was a major topic of conversation at the Venice Film Festival. In addition to “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” thousands of people attended the Palestinian parent demonstrations earlier this week.
