“The Voice of Hind Rajab” is still without an American distributor: why?
A timely topic, rave reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), festival accolades, an acclaimed director, the festival’s longest standing ovation ever, and a host of A-list supporters usually ensure a film’s US distribution. A lot of movies this year have found a home with a few things in their corners.
And after, Hind Rajab’s voicewinner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Kaouther Ben Hania, remains without a home in the United States.
A quick sale was expected in the US by sources at seller CAA Media Finance. This is the boom time for foreign films. We realize there have been some suggestions but so far few of them come close to the usual standard for a film of this condition. The fact that it has not yet been sold has left many surprised. “Hasn’t this movie really sold yet?” A prominent producer sent a message.
The Arabic-language film, which won Tunisia an Oscar, tells the story of the six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces last year. She and her family were fleeing Gaza City when their car was bombed, also killing Rajab’s uncle, aunt, and three cousins. Rajab and his other cousin initially survived the attack and called the Palestine Red Crescent Society by phone from their car to ask for help. But the car was later found with Rajab and the paramedics who came to help her all dead.
The incident sparked global protests, including at Columbia University, where students renamed Hamilton Hall to Hind Hall. In her film, Tunisian director Ben Hania wove into the original recording of Rajab’s last phone call what critics described as a devastating effect.
The killings occurred about three months into the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the Hamas-led terror attacks of October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people. The Palestinian death toll now stands at 67,000, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and Gaza is in ruins. The United Nations condemned the Israeli actions and described them as genocide. There is renewed hope today for a ceasefire and the return of the remaining hostages.
RELATED: International feature film submissions for the 2026 Oscars by country
Hind Rajab’s voice It’s not a star-studded project, but Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuaron, and Jonathan Glazer are among the heavyweights who have backed this film as executive producers. After a record 23-minute applause at the film’s emotionally charged premiere in Venice, the film went on to be shown at festivals around the world, including the United States.
International buyers flocked to him. Italian distributor I Wonder Pictures released the film domestically two weeks ago to a No. 4 opening and $500,000 from 400 screens, a strong debut for a foreign-language film. It has now surpassed $1 million and taken the box office in its second frame for the Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell remake. A beautiful, big, bold journey And neon horror erupts together.
“Buyers are exiting out of fear.”
Why didn’t that happen? Hind Rajab’s voice Taken in the US? Ben Hania’s previous three films have received US distribution from established buyers. We spoke to dozens of US and international distributors, financiers and producers to get their opinions. No one wanted to speak on the record.
One prominent American buyer, who has shown strong interest in the film, claimed: “Buyers are fainting out of fear and/or they don’t agree with the film’s politics. I’m very surprised.”
This buyer cited “full list” as the reason he could not purchase it.
One major art house explained: “We were very interested in the film, but had reached the point where it seemed pointless for us to make a thoughtful offer based on our calibration of potential, with the expectation that a sale to a major streaming company was unlikely… Plus, awards season is already well underway. Trying to get this film right in such a short period of time is very difficult.”
The asking price is understood to be in the mid-six figures, which is no small amount. Certainly, the caution of streamers is a problem for many “difficult” films these days. And so far an Oscar winner No other landHis film, about the occupied West Bank, grossed $2.5 million in US theaters alone last year, suggesting there is an audience for Palestinian stories.
Another US buyer offered: “While everyone acknowledges that it’s basically an automatic ticket to the awards race, it seems ironic that it would be acquired for just that reason. Regardless of one’s politics, it will act as a lightning rod that will overshadow everything else a particular dealer will be dealing with this season.”
It seems like a company like Mubi would be a perfect fit. But that company has been waging a public relations battle for months over the Israeli military ties of its newest financial backer, Sequoia. A film like this can exacerbate existing glare or see the glare turned into a negative effect on the film. Sources in the company declined to comment.
One European distribution expert posited: “For an American distributor, getting a film like… Hind Rajab’s voice Not only does it mean believing in the quality of the work, it also means devoting resources to defending it against the inevitable attacks from multiple quarters. This requires not only marketing and advertising dollars, but also a team prepared to deal with controversy in a highly polarized environment. Many distributors simply don’t have the bandwidth or desire for this type of battle.
A source close to the film confirmed: “You can embellish it however you want, but in the end the film was not chosen out of fear. In my view, it is an unfounded fear, when weighed against the artistic merit and commercial prospects of the film.”
One Hollywood financier we spoke to refuted the idea of a silent boycott of the film. “It is not true that there is a campaign in Hollywood or within the country in general to censor Palestinian stories or voices. I do not believe it.”
The context of who he is anyway
While there are not many Palestinian films against which to test this theory, recent returns are mixed. No other land It went the self-distribution route after the filmmakers supposedly didn’t get the deal they liked (although sources tell us there were offers). Cannes 2025 movie Once upon a time in Gaza No home found yet. There are still those who want to stick their necks out: Watermelon Pictures, specializing in Palestinian and Arab stories, releases Anne-Marie Jacir’s film Palestine 36 Sherine Daibes praised the Sundance drama All that’s left of you (which received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), while the Kino Lorber film received a documentary from Cannes. Put your soul on your hand and walk About the life of photojournalist Fatima Hassouna in Gaza. Hassouna was tragically killed in an Israeli airstrike in April 2025, shortly before the film was selected to screen at Cannes. It is understood that Richard Lorber’s company has high chances of the film being a success.
An American distributor confirmed this Hind RajabThe film’s subject matter may be off-putting to audiences outside of Hollywood: “I think overall it speaks to distributors who realize that despite the hype within the Hollywood bubble, moviegoers don’t want to be preached about a subject they can easily engage with, if they so choose, across a variety of media from the comfort of their home or on their devices of choice.”
They added about the film industry’s potential reservations about the film: “Hollywood is an industry built in part by Jews fleeing the Holocaust, so resistance to the film should not come as a surprise. The film does not place it in the context of the events depicted as part of a response to a wave of murder, rape and kidnapping from religiously motivated terrorist violence generated by the democratically elected ruling authority in Gaza. It has It shocked anyone who was shocked that the film was not warmly received by the Hollywood industry except for a few anti-Zionist and anti-Israel actors.
October 7th was also brought up by one Hollywood producer we spoke to: “Now you can’t tell the story of anything after October 7th without putting October 7th in context. And you can’t skip it or diminish it, because it’s not a small part of the context.”
In response, a source close to the film responded: “I think there is ideology in the suggestion that this film should be about October 7th. The heinous, horrific and unjustified massacre of October 7th came on the heels of decades of violence. The region has seen a very long cycle of violence and oppression. There is a broader political conversation about what counts as context, but how many films about war have title cards that say Detailing a longer political history? Do you? War Open with title cards detailing the history or context of the Iraq War? an act American sniper?”
We’ve heard there’s still a chance the film will find a buyer, but for now there’s a stronger possibility it will go the self-distribution route after raising P&A money.
At the same time, the question of whether the American broadcaster or studio will support it Hind Rajab’s voice Today it is relevant. In recent years, filmmakers have expressed increasing concerns about studios and streamers turning away from “difficult” material.
Twenty years ago, the political and industrial landscape was different; Not without their own challenges, but different. The distinguished and distinguished psychological drama by Palestinian director Hani Abu Asaad Heaven nowThe film, about two childhood friends preparing a suicide attack in Israel, was picked up by studio division Warner Independent in 2005. While there was criticism from some corners about the film’s subject matter, Warner stood by the film, which grossed $1.5 million in U.S. theaters and went on to win a Golden Globe Award and be nominated for an Academy Award. Eight years later, a similarly acclaimed film by the same director was released ageThe film, about a young Palestinian man who agrees to work as an informant after being wrongly implicated in the killing of an Israeli soldier, has found a home at New York-based Adopt Films, whose campaign also prompted an Oscar nomination.
America’s shift to the right
For a movie like Heaven now Finding a buyer for a studio today seems like a strange idea.
Former Lionsgate cinema president Patrick Wachsberger, speaking at the film distribution panel that oversaw Deadline at the Zurich summit, told the audience he doubted whether even a film of this kind would be released in this political climate. Bowling for Columbine You could get a theatrical offer.
America’s shift to the right under Donald Trump does not represent the deep wound that Hollywood leaders will inflict, as many assumed. We have entered a new reality where a swaggering comedian can be plucked from the air after criticism from conservatives and Trump officials. How many studio heads have publicly lamented Trump’s erosion of DEI? Making side deals with the president is now seen as a necessary evil in order to focus on “important things.” These appear to include greasing the wheels for other deals with his administration and hiring executives who are supportive of the president and his culture wars agenda.
One studio executive we spoke to privately in recent weeks admitted he was “terrified” of doing or saying anything that might anger Trump.
This is the background for such a movie Hind Rajab No agreement: a backdrop of growing fear of political reprisal [see The Apprentice’s journey]The toxicity of social media and the reorganization of the studio. This isn’t the only reason not to buy it, but many people we talked to believe it’s a contributing factor.
“Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, the indictment of James Comey, and the use of troops in Portland and other US cities are indicative of a culture in which pressure is increasing to boycott dissent against the current US administration,” lamented one festival executive. “Doing a movie in which a director says ‘Just as people know the name Anne Frank, they should know Hind Rajab’ would fall into this category. The tech bros are doing their best to accommodate the president; is it any wonder that independent distributors might be of similar thinking given that their financial survival is under greater threat?”