New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- Kaouther Ben Hania's The Voice of Hind Rajab premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 3, and became one of the festival's most emotional moments. The Tunisian director's drama received a 23-minute standing ovation-the longest of this year's edition-leaving audience members in tears. According to Variety and Deadline, the screening turned into a powerful event with chants of "Free Palestine" echoing inside the gallery, as actor Motaz Malhees raised a Palestinian flag.

The film recounts the harrowing true story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed during the early stages of the Gaza war in January 2024. While fleeing Gaza City with her family, the car she was traveling in...