Gaza's grand festive event gains Hollywood endorsement

The Venice Film Festival witnessed a significant stir this year with the premiere of "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a documentary drama co-produced by Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix. The film, which received over 20 minutes of applause and standing ovations, an unusually long duration for film festivals, has taken center stage at the A-list event.

"The Voice of Hind Rajab" tells the heart-wrenching tale of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab's final moments in the Gaza Strip, who tragically lost her life in January 2024 while trying to flee the city with her family. The film's central element is a real phone recording of Hind speaking with Palestinian Red Crescent volunteers for about three hours while trapped in a shot-up car among dead family members.

The film's team used the press conference to issue a political appeal, accusing Israel of committing genocide in its fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, Israel and the German government have rejected this accusation, with Israel claiming it aims to dismantle the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

The Gaza War, which was sparked by a Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 250 others were kidnapped into the Gaza Strip, is not the primary focus of "The Voice of Hind Rajab."

Meanwhile, the premiere of "In The Hand of Dante," a historical thriller directed by Julian Schnabel, was planned after "The Voice of Hind Rajab." Schnabel defended the inclusion of actors Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler in the film, despite their being targeted by pro-Palestinian activists before the festival. However, Gadot and Butler did not attend the Venice Film Festival.

The Gaza conflict marked the first time the conflict has taken center stage at an A-list festival. The event also saw "Free Palestine" chants echoing in the cinema, with some individuals waving Palestinian flags. Phoenix and his partner Rooney Mara were seen with tears in their eyes after the premiere.

Director Schnabel declined to comment on "Hind Rajab" and the debate over the Gaza War at the festival. The specific information about which individuals involved in the production of "In The Hand of Dante" were absent from the film's premiere is not available in the provided search results.