Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza-set drama The Voice of Hind Rajab will bookend the region’s major festivals this November. The Doha Film Institute (DFI) announced on Tuesday that the film will open the inaugural edition of the Doha Film Festival (DFF), which runs from November 20th to the 28th.
On the other hand, it will also close the 46th Cairo International Film Festival, screening in its African premiere on November 21, 2025. The Cairo festival runs from November 12 to 21 under the patronage of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture.
The Tunisian–French production is based on the real story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, trapped alone in a car under heavy bombardment in Gaza after losing her family. Using the actual emergency call Hind made to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the film captures a haunting portrait of silence, fear, and waiting — turning her voice into a symbol of innocence amid violence.
The screening in Cairo and Doha follows the film’s major win at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, where it earned the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize and a lengthy standing ovation. CIFF president Hussein Fahmy described the selection as “a reflection of cinema’s role in defending human causes, especially Palestine,” while director Mohamed Tarek described it as “a celebration of Arab cinema’s power to carry Palestine’s voice to the world.”
With its global acclaim and powerful subject, The Voice of Hind Rajab arrives in Cairo as a poignant finale, and in Doha as a striking starter, underscoring the festival’s commitment to cinema as both memory and resistance.
WE ALSO SAID THIS: Don’t Miss… Arab Films in the Race for an Oscar
