Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza genocide docudrama takes the Silver Lion as Jim Jarmusch wins the Golden Lion.

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Wins Venice Grand Jury Prize

Fez — In a win for Palestine and Palestinian stories, Franco-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” took home the Venice’s Grand Jury Prize on Saturday. The result capped a charged festival week in which Ben Hania’s Gaza genocide docudrama drew the Lido’s longest ovation and intense debate.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” tells the story of the final hours of five-year-old Hind Rajab Hamada, who was trapped in a car with relatives as they fled Gaza City.

Built around real emergency calls, the film became the most talked-about title of the competition and, according to festival coverage, earned a standing ovation of about 23 minutes at its Wednesday premiere.

Accepting the Grand Jury Prize, Ben Hania said Hind’s story “is not hers alone,” calling it emblematic of broader civilian suffering in Gaza. “It is tragically the story of an entire people enduring genocide, inflicted by a criminal Israeli regime that acts with impunity,” she said.

The project attracted a constellation of executive producers after editing was completed, including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Jonathan Glazer, and Alfonso Cuarón. Their support, alongside strong word-of-mouth, fueled expectations that the film might win the Golden Lion.

However, this hope did not come to reality.

The jury, chaired by American filmmaker Alexander Payne, instead awarded the top honor to Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother,” a gently comic study of awkwardness, guilt, and reconciliation.

Starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, and Tom Waits, the film unfolds across three family gatherings in upstate New York, Dublin, and Paris. Jarmusch described it as “a kind of anti-action film,” thanking the jury “for appreciating our quiet film.”

The ceremony also carried symbolic gestures. Jarmusch wore a badge reading “Enough,” interpreted as a statement against the continuing Gaza genocide.

For some campaigners, the decision to give “The Voice of Hind Rajab” the festival’s second prize rather than the Golden Lion may feel bittersweet; for others, the recognition consolidated the film’s global visibility and awards-season prospects.