Director tells Venice that Gaza film gives ‘voice’ to victims

VENICE: The director of a new film about a five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza told the Venice Film Festival Wednesday she wanted to give “a voice and a face” to victims.

“We’ve seen that the narrative all around the world is that those dying in Gaza are collateral damage, in the media, and I think this is so dehumanising,” Franco-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania told journalists ahead of the world premiere of “The Voice of Hind Rajab”.

“And that’s why cinema, art, and every kind of expression is very important to give those people a voice and a face.”

Gaza has been front and centre at the prestigious event in Venice after a group of filmmakers and others called on festival organisers to more forcefully condemn the war.

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Ben Hania’s film is one of 21 in the running for the Golden Lion prize.

It tells the true story of the girl who pleaded with emergency services to come and rescue her after Israeli forces killed the rest of her family in their car while evacuating from Gaza in January 2024.

The movie uses the actual audio from phone calls Hind made with the Red Crescent.

“This movie was very important for me because when I heard the first time the voice of Hind Rajab, there was something more than her voice,” said Ben Hania.

“It was the very voice of Gaza asking for help and nobody could enter,” she added.

“It was like a kind of strong desire and the feeling of anger and helplessness that gave birth to this movie.”

Ben Hania was the first filmaker to represent Tunisia at the Academy Awards in 2021.