Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have joined as executive producers on Kaouther Ben Hania’s new drama ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’, which premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 3.
They are joined by Pitt’s Plan B partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, as well as Oscar-winning filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer. The film also has support from Film4 and Saudi-backed MBC Studios, with sales already secured across Europe and CAA Media Finance handling North America.
The drama revisits the tragic story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who died in January 2024 after her family’s car came under Israeli fire while fleeing Gaza City. Hind’s final moments, recorded in calls with Red Crescent volunteers, drew international outrage. Independent investigations later confirmed Israeli tanks were present at the scene, though Israel denied responsibility.
Ben Hania, twice Oscar-nominated for ‘Four Daughters’ and ‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’, blends fact and drama once again in this project, produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae and James Wilson. The cast includes Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury and Amer Hlehel.
The Venice launch coincides with mounting protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. Hundreds of activists plan to march on the Lido during the festival’s opening weekend, while more than 200 artists, including Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma and Toni Servillo, have signed a letter urging organisers to take a stand against what they describe as “genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
After Venice, The Voice of Hind Rajab will make its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.