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The Voice of Hind Rajab wins 2nd prize at Venice Film Festival
A harrowing docudrama about Israel’s killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl during its ongoing war on Gaza has won the Silver Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival.
The Voice of Hind Rajab, by French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, came in second on Saturday to the movie Father Mother Sister Brother by United States indie director Jim Jarmusch.
The film tells the true story of Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces last year, as she and her family tried to evacuate Gaza City.
It uses real audio from Rajab’s hours-long call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, in which rescuers tried to reassure her as she lay trapped in a bullet-ridden car with the bodies of her aunt, uncle and three cousins, who had all been killed by Israeli fire.
The girl was then also killed, as were the two ambulance workers who went to the scene to try and rescue her.
Ben Hania, accepting her award, said Rajab’s story was not just that of the young girl, but tragically that of “an entire people enduring genocide”.
“Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, but cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders,” the director said.
“Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served.”
Kaouther Ben Hania displays a picture of Hind Rajab as she arrives for the premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajab at the 82nd Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, September 3
Israeli defence companies face scrutiny at Poland defence exhibition
Israeli defence companies have been questioned by Polish police about their involvement in the war on Gaza, amid concerns over their participation at a major defence exhibition in Kielce.
The Jerusalem Post reported that many employees of Israeli defence companies Elbit Systems and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems were called in by police for questioning after a Polish journalist filed a complaint about their involvement in the war in Gaza.
Two of the employees attending last week’s MSPO exhibition in Kielce had already left Poland before being summoned, it reported.
Elbit’s presence at the exhibition was also targeted with a protest, with two people arrested for throwing red paint over the company’s booth, the report said.
