The 82nd Venice Film Festival closed on Saturday night with independent filmmakers outshining Hollywood stars, as ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ made history, reports The Guardian.
The film, centered on Gaza, received a 23-minute standing ovation after its world premiere; believed to be the longest in the festival’s history.
Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film tells the true story of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City in January 2024 along with relatives and two paramedics.
While lengthy ovations are a hallmark of major festivals, the response to The Voice of Hind Rajab is considered unprecedented. The previous record was set at Cannes in 2006, when Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth drew a 22-minute ovation.
The film gained further momentum last week when Hollywood heavyweights Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Brad Pitt, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer joined as executive producers. Phoenix and Mara attended the Venice photocall and premiere.
During the ovation, the film’s crew held aloft a picture of Hind Rajab.
The film has also been submitted by Tunisia for Oscar consideration in the Best International Feature Film category. Ben Hania’s earlier works, ‘Four Daughters’ and ‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’, both earned Oscar nominations.
At a Venice press conference, actress Saja Kilani said, “Hind’s voice is the voice of thousands of murdered children. Each of them had the right to live, to dream and to exist with dignity.”
