Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix back The Voice of Hind Rajab at Venice

A slate of high profile film figures including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón and Jonathan Glazer have joined Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania as executive producers on The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Gaza-set drama that will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 3 before playing in Toronto. The film, which reconstructs the January 2024 killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab and members of her family, incorporates actual voice recordings of Rajab pleading for help with Palestine Red Crescent volunteers as rescuers attempted to reach her, filmmakers said.

Ben Hania’s film depicts Rajab and relatives trying to flee Gaza City in a car that came under fire. The initial attack killed five family members in the vehicle, the accounts say; Rajab and one cousin survived the first strike and contacted emergency responders by phone. The cousin, the paramedics who responded and Rajab were later found dead, producers said. Israel has said its forces were not present in the area at the time, but independent investigations using satellite imagery and on-the-ground forensic work concluded Israeli armor and troops were there. Research...