“The Voice of Hind Rajab” Secures U.S. Distributor
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania has found a U.S. distributor nearly two months after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Villa Studios will release the film in theaters in New York and Los Angeles starting December 17. The film received over 22 minutes of standing ovation at Venice and won the Silver Lion Jury Prize, but until now had no U.S. distributor. Tunisia has selected The Voice of Hind Rajab as its submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.
Written and directed by Ben Hania, The Voice of Hind Rajab tells the story of a five-year-old girl who is left behind in a car and later dies in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The film incorporates real audio recordings of conversations between Hind Rajab and Red Crescent rescue workers as they struggled to send an ambulance to her location. The cast includes Sajji Kilani, Clara Khoury, and Moataz Malhis.
Jonathan Glazer, the Oscar-winning director of The Zone of Interest; Joaquin Phoenix, the Oscar-winning star of Joker; Brad Pitt; Rooney Mara; and Alfonso Cuarón are among the film’s producers. Phoenix and his wife, Mara, accompanied the filmmakers at the Venice premiere.
Following its Venice debut, The Voice of Hind Rajab screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It has also been showcased at the Toronto and London film festivals, and has received several other honors, including the Audience Award at Middleburg and the Hugo Award from the Chicago Film Festival.
