The new Palestine-set movie The Voice of Hind Rajab has set the record for the longest standing ovation during the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix, who are executive producers on the movie, walked the red carpet with filmmakers at the premiere on Wednesday (September 3) in Venice, Italy.
The true story follows the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car and died during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip.
Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania has opened up about why she decided to make this movie.
“I heard an audio recording of Hind Rajab begging for help. By then, her voice had already spread across the internet,” she wrote in a statement. “I contacted the Red Crescent and asked them to let me hear the full audio. It was about 70 minutes long, and harrowing. After listening to it, I knew, without a doubt, that I had to drop everything else. I had to make this film. I spoke at length with Hind’s mother, with the real people who were on the other end of that call, those who tried to help her.”
Variety reports that at the Venice premiere, the movie received a 22-minute standing ovation, which is the longest of the festival so far. There were chants for “Free Palestine” during the ovation and several attendees held up the Palestinian flag.
FYI: Rooney and Joaquin are both wearing Givenchy.
