The film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” has once again captured the world’s attention. Following its success at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, the film has now won the Audience Award at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain, held from 19-27 September 2025.
Directed by French-Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film tells the tragic story of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in an Israeli military attack in Gaza. The film was screened at San Sebastián amidst international artist protests calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza.
According to Deadline, at San Sebastián, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” received two awards, including the Audience Award based on the festival audience votes. Prior to this, the film also received the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, following a 23-minute standing ovation during its premiere.
Meanwhile, the highest award, the Golden Shell for Best Film at this year’s San Sebastián, was awarded to “Los Domingos” (Sundays) by Spanish director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who collected a total of five awards. The Special Jury Prize was given to “Historias del buen valle” (Good Valley Stories) directed by José Luis Guerin.
The festival was led by an official jury chaired by the director of Society of the Snow, J.A. Bayona, with members including actress Zhou Dongyu, actor Mark Strong, and French producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint.
Prior to its victory in Spain, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” first garnered attention at the Venice Film Festival by winning the Silver Lion (second prize). Ben Hania used original recordings of Hind Rajab’s calls to the Palestine Red Crescent, where she was trapped in a bullet-riddled car with her family’s corpses.
In her acceptance speech at Venice, Ben Hania emphasized that Hind Rajab’s story represents the suffering of the entire Palestinian people. “Cinema cannot bring back Hind, but it can keep her voice echoing across borders until justice is served,” she was quoted as saying by Aljazeera on Monday, 29 September 2025.
The Israel-Gaza conflict since October 2023 has claimed the lives of more than 64,000 Palestinian citizens, including 18,000 children. This conflict has cast an emotional backdrop over this year’s world film festivals, including Venice and San Sebastián, where many filmmakers and actors have expressed their solidarity with Palestine.
