Tunisia has submitted The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. It is based on the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces during the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza.
The film will make its world premiere in the official Competition at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival contending for the Golden Lion, followed by its North American premiere in the Special Presentations at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
The Voice of Hind Rajab reconstructs the harrowing events of January 29, 2024: six-year-old Hind Rajab is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, calling Red Crescent volunteers over a 70-minute emergency phone call. Rather than depicting violence directly, the film blending actual recordings and scripted performances centers on the tension of the call.
The cast features Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, and Amer Hlehel. Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, Alfonso Cuarón, Jemima Khan, Frank Giustra and Sabine Getty recently board the film as executive producers.
Kaouther Ben Hania previous works include Four Daughters which was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards, and The Man Who Sold His Skin which received Tunisia’s first-ever Oscar nomination for Best International Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards.
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