The Voice of Hind Rajab, a docu-drama by Kaouther Ben Hania chronicling the tragic final hours of the six-year-old in Gaza who died in IDF firing — alone and scared, still hoping to be rescued with her family dead around her in the car — premiered at the Venice Film Festival to an unprecedented 23-minute standing ovation on 3 September, Wednesday.

The emotionally charged screening saw several attendees weep in sorrow and anger, amidst chants of “Free, Free Palestine” and waving red-black-green-white flags. Moments from the screening have gone viral, capturing global attention.

While some have been cynical about the 11th-hour onboarding of Brad Pitt, Jonathan Glazer, Alfonso Cuaron, Plan B ‘executive producers’ Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, it certainly did the job of getting more visibility for the Gazan feature — and yes, for the veteran Hollywood stars themselves.

But at the heart of the film is Palestinian truth, unvarnished, not Hollywood gloss.

The documentary uses authentic audio from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, highlighting in particular the little girl’s desperate, frightened pleas for help over the radio — all alone, in a car filled with dead family members.

“Please come to me, please come. I’m scared,” the child is heard sobbing in the despatch of 29 January 2024, with bullets firing in the background.

The child’s body was eventually found lifeless, days after her last call went out — in February 2024 — and became a lightning rod that galvanised international public opinion that had already been shifting in favour of at least the children of Gaza, trapped and assaulted for no fault of their own.