The Voice of Hind Rajab wins Silver Lion at Venice Film Festival
Venice: The Voice of Hind Rajab, a powerful docudrama chronicling the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza, has won the Silver Lion (Second Prize) at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.
Directed by acclaimed French-Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film tells the harrowing true story of Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside members of her family while attempting to flee Gaza City during Israel’s ongoing military campaign. The film came second to Father Mother Sister Brother by American indie director Jim Jarmusch.
“Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, but cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders,” said Ben Hania during her award acceptance. “Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served.”
The film incorporates real audio from Hind’s hours-long phone call with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), during which she pleaded for help while trapped inside a bullet-riddled car. Her aunt, uncle, and three cousins had already been killed by Israeli gunfire. Hind was ultimately killed before help could reach her. Two PRCS ambulance workers dispatched to rescue her were also reportedly killed.
Ben Hania described Hind's story as emblematic of “an entire people enduring genocide.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab premiered at the Venice Film Festival three days ago to a record-breaking 23-minute standing ovation. The emotional screening saw audience members break into tears, chants of “Free Palestine,” and waves of Palestinian flags inside the theater.
Speaking to AFP from Gaza City, Wissam Hamada, Hind Rajab’s mother, said she hopes the film raises global awareness: “The whole world has left us to die, to go hungry, to live in fear and to be forcibly displaced without doing anything.”
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Iran warns of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ after energy site strike
Qatar warns residents of ‘Elavated’ threat
Tehran/Doha: Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned that attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure could lead to “uncontrollable consequences” affecting the entire world.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he “strongly condemns” the strikes that targeted the South Pars gasfield earlier in the day.
“Such aggressive actions will not achieve anything for the American Zionist enemy and their supporters. Rather, they will complicate the situation and could lead to uncontrollable consequences that will affect the entire world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to remain indoors due to what it described as an elevated security threat.
Authorities have not provided further details, but the advisory comes amid growing concerns over the safety of energy infrastructure and civilian areas in the region.
