"The Voice of Hind" from Gaza shakes Venice.. A film documenting the tragedy of a girl receives a 24-minute standing ovation

In an emotional scene filled with tears and feelings, the audience at the Venice Film Festival applauded for a long time — for a continuous 24 minutes — after the premiere of the film "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Tunisian director Kawthar Ben Hania, which documents the last moments in the life of a girl from Gaza whose story has become a symbol of human pain.

The film tells the tragedy of the girl Hind Rajab (5 years old) who was trapped inside a car with her relatives under Israeli bombardment on January 29, 2024, and she kept pleading for help over the phone with a heart-wrenching tone, before the call was cut off and her body along with her family and the ambulance crew were later found.

Ben Hania stated in her remarks: "I did not expect this warm welcome… It was an overwhelming emotional moment. I hope the film helps convey Hind's story to the world," while actor Amer Halihal, who portrayed a Red Crescent employee, expressed his feelings of guilt saying: "We celebrate here, while the people of Gaza are still living through famine and mass killings… but we feel we are on a mission to inform the world about what happened."

The story that shook the global conscience was documented with Hind's real voice, and today it has become a film that enjoys international cinematic recognition, at a time when the humanitarian wound in Gaza remains open.