Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rooney Mara have joined Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza-set drama ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ as executive producers, giving the film a major boost ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.
Also stepping in as executive producers are Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Pitt’s production company Plan B, The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer, and Roma filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. The project has also secured support from major backers, including the UK’s Film4 and Saudi Arabia’s state-owned MBC Studios.
The film will premiere in Venice on Sept. 3 before heading to the Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere.
The drama reconstructs the events surrounding the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab in January 2024. Rajab, traveling by car with her four cousins and her aunt and uncle, came under fire from the Israeli military as they tried to flee Gaza City. Ben Hania’s film is based on the voice recordings between Hind Rajab and the Red Crescent volunteers who tried to keep her on the line, doing everything they can to get an ambulance to her.
Israel claimed it did not have troops in the area where Hind and her family were killed but investigations using satellite imagery, carried out independently by The Washington Post and Sky News have concluded that Israeli tanks were present at the time. London-based research group Forensic Architecture published a detailed investigation in conjunction with Al Jazeera that mapped 335 bullet holes in the car’s exterior.
The Voice of Hind Rajab is Ben Hania’s follow-up to her Oscar-nominated Four Daughters, another drama that combines documentary with fictional methods. Her previous film The Man Who Sold His Skin was also a best international nominee.
The Voice of Hind Rajab was lead produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha under his Mime Films and Tanit Films banner, together with Odessa Rae at New York-based RaeFilm Studios and James Wilson at London-based Jw Films Production. Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees Clara Khoury and Amer Hlehel star.
Ahead of its Venice premiere, The Party Film Sales, which are handling international sales for the movie, closed distribution deals across much of Europe. CAA Media Finance represents the film for North America.
Ahead of its Venice debut, The Party Film Sales closed distribution deals across much of Europe, with CAA Media Finance handling representation in North America.
The Venice Film Festival opens against the backdrop of escalating war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On August 30, hundreds of political and grassroots groups plan to march along the Santa Maria Elisabetta avenue on the Lido, protesting Israel's military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hundreds of Italian and international artists, including Ken Loach, Italian actor Toni Servillo, French directors Céline Sciamma and Audrey Diwan, and Palestinian directorial duo Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser, signed an open letter calling on the Venice film festival to condemn what they describe as genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
