RAMALLAH/ROME – Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful Gaza docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, the second-highest honor, at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
The Tunisian director’s latest film recounts the events of Jan. 29, 2024, when the 5-year-old Hind Rajab was the sole survivor in a car hit by Israeli forces while trying to escape with her family in Gaza.
During the attack, Hind made a desperate phone call to Red Crescent volunteers pleading for help. Volunteers tried to maintain contact and summon an ambulance, but both the vehicle and the girl were struck before help could arrive.
“Hind’s voice was a cry for rescue the entire world could hear but no one answered,” Hania said.
“Her voice will continue to echo until accountability and justice is served. Cinema cannot bring her back nor can it erase the atrocity that was committed against her. But cinema can preserve her voice,” she added.
