Venice Lido, Italy– The 82nd Venice Film Festival has come to a close, leaving a lasting impact on the film world and beyond. This year’s festival was marked by a powerful display of solidarity with the Palestinian people, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” by French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, has won the Silver Lion prize, sparking conversations about the human cost of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The film tells the heart-wrenching true story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The documentary uses real audio from Rajab’s desperate call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, where rescuers tried to reassure her as she lay trapped in a bullet-ridden car with the bodies of her family members.
The film’s powerful narrative resonated deeply with audiences, and Ben Hania’s emotional acceptance speech highlighted the tragedy faced by the Palestinian people.
“Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Nothing can ever restore what was taken, but cinema can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders,” Ben Hania said, her voice filled with emotion. “Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served.”
The impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict was palpable throughout the festival. Director Jim Jarmusch, who won the Golden Lion for his film “Father Mother Sister Brother,” showed his support for the Palestinian cause by wearing a badge saying “Enough” during the award ceremony.
Other winners, including Italy’s Toni Servillo and China’s Xin Zhilei, also spoke out about the conflict, emphasizing the need for peace and justice.
Servillo expressed admiration for activists on a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s siege of Gaza, saying they “have decided to set sail with courage to reach Palestine and to bring a sign of humanity to a land where human dignity is daily and cruelly demeaned”.
Annapurna Roy, who won the best director prize in the Horizons sidebar, dedicated part of her remarks to the conflict in Gaza, stating, “Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation, and Palestine is no exception. I stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”
The conflict in Gaza has resulted in devastating consequences, with over 64,000 Palestinians killed, including more than 18,000 children. The humanitarian crisis has sparked widespread outrage and calls for action.
Maryam Touzani, winner of the Armani Beauty’s audience award, poignantly asked, “How many mothers have been made childless? How many more until this horror is brought to an end? We refuse to lose our humanity”.