A powerful and harrowing documentary, The Voice of Hind Rajab, has become the undisputed standout of the 2025 Venice Film Festival, receiving a profoundly emotional 23-minute standing ovation that left its directors and the audience in tears.
The film centres on the final, heartbreaking phone call made by six-year-old Hind Rajab, who became a symbol of the human cost of the conflict in Gaza after she was trapped in a car with the bodies of her deceased relatives, desperately pleading for help.
Directed by the Palestinian film-making collective Arab Dawn, the feature-length documentary meticulously pieces together her story using a combination of audio from the call, interviews with first responders, and animated reconstructions.
A Moment of Collective Grief and Respect
The premiere at the Sala Grande theatre was marked by an atmosphere of intense solemnity. As the credits rolled, the audience rose to its feet in a unified wave of respect and grief, with the roaring applause lasting for well over 20 minutes. The directors, visibly overwhelmed, embraced on stage as festival attendees waved Palestinian flags.
More Than a Film: A Global Plea for Peace
Far from being a conventional documentary, the project is described by its creators as a global act of bearing witness. The film aims to immortalise Hind's voice and story, transforming a personal tragedy into a potent plea for peace and humanity.
The overwhelming response in Venice signals the film's potent impact and suggests it will be a major contender for the festival's top prizes, as well as a significant work in global cinematic discourse.
