A Gaza-set drama by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has drawn major Hollywood support ahead of its debut at the Venice Film Festival. The Voice of Hind Rajab will compete for the festival's top prize on September 3 before moving on to the Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere.

The project has attracted an impressive roster of executive producers, including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Glazer, and Pitt's Plan B partners Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner. Institutional backing has also come from Britain's Film4 and Saudi-owned MBC Studios.

The film recounts the harrowing death of six-year-old Hind Rajab in January 2024, when her family car was riddled with bullets as they attempted to leave Gaza City. Based on voice recordings of Hind's calls with Red Crescent volunteers, the film portrays rescuers' desperate efforts to reach her. Although "Israel" denied having troops in the area, investigations by The Washington Post, Sky News, and Forensic Architecture documented the presence of Israeli tanks and mapped 335 bullet holes in the car.

The Voice of Hind Rajab is Ben Hania's follow-up to her Oscar-nominated Four Daughters. Her earlier work, The Man Who Sold His Skin, also earned an Academy Award nomination. The new film was lead-produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha of Mime Films and Tanit Films, with Odessa Rae (RaeFilm Studios) and James Wilson (Jw Films) joining as co-producers. Distribution has already been secured across Europe, with CAA Media Finance handling sales in North America.

Cinema meets resistance

The premiere comes amid "Israel's" ongoing war on Gaza, where more than 62,000 people have been killed since October 2023. Just this week, Israeli forces bombed Gaza's main southern hospital twice in one day, killing at least 20 people, including rescuers, medical staff, and journalists, prompting international condemnation.

The Venice Festival itself is set to become a stage for protest. Hundreds of grassroots groups plan to march on August 30 in solidarity with Palestinians, while a coalition of artists, including Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma, Audrey Diwan, Toni Servillo, and Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser, signed an open letter urging the festival to denounce genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Read more: Hollywood slams Academy silence on assaulted Palestinian filmmaker