Oscar-nominated director Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab" — Tunisia’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards — will be released in cinemas across Egypt and Palestine on December 17th and throughout the Arab World on December 18th, with the film’s official Arab World trailer unveiled.
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This marks the first release in a series under CineMAD, a pioneering three-month pan-Arab film season launched by Cairo-based Mad Solutions to bring high-profile Arab films celebrated on the festival circuit to cinemas across the Middle East and North Africa. The initiative is presented in partnership with Premiere, Empire Entertainment, Filmlab Palestine, and Easy Distribution, with additional partners to be announced soon.
The film’s release follows its remarkable success on the international festival circuit, where it was chosen as the closing film of the 46th Cairo International Film Festival and the opening film of the inaugural Doha Film Festival following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it received a thunderous standing ovation lasting over 20 minutes — the longest in the festival’s history — and won multiple awards including the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, the UNICEF Award, the Edipo Re Award, the Arca Cinema Giovani Award, and the CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award.
Since then, it has continued to garner accolades, winning the Audience Award at the Montpellier International Mediterranean Film Festival in France (Cinemed), the Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani, and the Warsaw International Film Festival, as well as the Grand Prize for Best Film of 2025 at the Ghent International Film Festival in Belgium.
A Tunisian-French co-production, "The Voice of Hind Rajab," is based on the shocking true story of Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, incorporating real-life voice recordings between Hind and the Red Crescent volunteers who attempted to save her.
The film is executive produced by Hollywood luminaries including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Alfonso Cuarón, in addition to Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner through their company Plan B Entertainment, who received “In Association With” credits alongside Film4 and MBC Studios, with other prominent figures joining as executive producers such as journalist and producer Jemima Khan, Canadian businessman and Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra, and jewellery designer and social figure Sabine Getty.
Filmed in Tunisia and starring Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees, and Saja Kilani, the film’s worldwide sales are being handled by Paris-based The Party Film Sales, which is co-representing the North American rights with CAA Media Finance. Theatrical and cultural rights in the Arab World are managed by MAD Distribution.
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB is a collaboration between Mime Films (Tunisia) and Tanit Films (France). It is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, and James Wilson and is made in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The director, Kaouther Ben Hania, is among the most acclaimed filmmakers of the Arab World, known for her bold storytelling. Her previous film, "Four Daughters" won the L’Oeil d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2024. Her 2020 feature, "The Man Who Sold His Skin", was nominated for Best International Feature and won Best Actor in the Horizons Section at Venice. Her earlier works, including "Beauty and the Dogs," "Zaineb Hates the Snow," and " Challat of Tunis", have also earned international acclaim.
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