Oscars: Tunisia Picks Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix-Backed ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ as Best International Feature Submission

Tunisia has named The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania its official submission for best international feature film at the Oscars.

The news was confirmed Thursday by the National Center for Cinema and Image, just two days after it was announced that Hollywood heavyweights — including Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara — had boarded the film as executive producers ahead of its world premiere in Venice. It heads to TIFF shortly after for its North American premiere.

Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner of Pitt’s production outfit Plan B have also joined the film alongside The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer and Roma filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. Other high-profile companies, including the U.K.’s Film4 and Saudi Arabian state-owned group MBC Studio, have also backed the film.

The drama tells the story of the killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, in January 2024.

Rajab, traveling by car with her four cousins and aunt and uncle, came under fire from the Israeli military as they tried to flee Gaza City. Ben Hania’s film is based on the voice recordings between the child and Red Crescent volunteers who tried to keep her on the line while they organized an emergency care.

Israel has claimed it did not have troops in the area where Hind and her family were killed, but satellite imagery investigations from The Washington Post and Sky News have concluded Israeli tanks were present at the time.

The first shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Dec. 16, 2025, followed by the final list on Jan. 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards Ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.

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