By Hanna Rantala

VENICE (Reuters) -Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania said on Thursday she hopes the rapturous reception given to her new film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” at the Venice Film Festival would help carry its harrowing story to audiences worldwide.

Recounting the final hours of a 5-year-old girl from Gaza who died in 2024 after she was trapped in a car under Israeli fire, the movie drew a 24-minute standing ovation at its premiere on Wednesday – by far the longest so far this year.

“It was overwhelming because I didn’t expect that,” Ben Hania told Reuters. “I’m so, so grateful to Venice for the selection (of the film) and to give us such an incredible beginning of the career of the movie.”

The applause only ended when officials had to ask the audience to leave because anothe

See Full Page