Overview

• Director Kaouther Ben Hania accepted the Grand Jury Prize with a speech denouncing Israeli actions, dedicating the award to the Palestine Red Crescent and calling for accountability.
• Reports from the festival described an exceptionally long standing ovation of roughly 23 to 24 minutes following the film’s world premiere.
• Ben Hania said European distribution is moving ahead while a U.S. deal is not yet in place, and she pledged to boycott Israel until the film can screen in Gaza.
• The Venice closing ceremony featured multiple winners referencing the Gaza crisis, and local groups staged a large protest during the festival.
• The film reconstructs the child’s final emergency call using authentic PRCS recordings, as independent investigations have pointed to Israeli tank fire and Israeli authorities continue to dispute those findings.