The Oscar nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab has become one of this awards season’s most talked-about titles.
Directed by the Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, it tells the true story of Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, using real audio from her emergency call.
The film has drawn wide critical attention and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and is also nominated for a BAFTA – the highest award in British cinema.
Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic spoke to the director in London.
Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/
Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile
#HindRajabFilm #VoiceOfHindRajab #KaoutherBenHania #HindRajab #HindRajabVoice #BAFTANominee2026 #PalestinianRedCrescent #OscarNominee2026 #GazaWar #BradPitt #spikelee
Transcript:
Just begin, dear. The voice you hear in this film is of the real Hindra.
The 5-year-old Palestinian girl shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza as she fled the bombing with her relatives in January 2024. She was on the phone to the Palestinian Red Cresant pleading to be rescued. The paramedics dispatched to save her were also killed. Her story has been brought to the screen by the award-winning Tunisian director Katha Benhania and is nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA award. When you hear her voice, you can’t unhear it. I couldn’t do anything except thinking about this little girl. Uh, and little by little, I was asking myself, what can I do? So I thought maybe I can use my art film making to make the voice of this little girl heard uh remembered. How much responsibility did you feel bringing her story to the screen? For me it was very important uh to talk with him mother at the time she was still in Gaza. She was griefing and she told me this uh sentence. She told me I want justice for my daughter. So if this move you can help in a way please do it. The voice of Hindra won the grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival in September and received a record 23 minute standing ovation. The film is now screening here in London and internationally. Industry figures like Brad Pitt and Spike Lee have come on board as executive producers and those behind the film hope that this momentum can help boost its profile even more. For the director, the film is a demand for accountability. When you watch this movie, you are a kind of witness. You are witnessing, you know, a crime. So for me, this movie is also a call for action because when you witness a crime, you should do something about it. A child’s voice now forever a testimony.
Mila Vaselinovich, Alazer, London. Don’t miss out and get the full picture. Subscribe to El Jazzer for reliable news and expert insights. Like, share, stay ahead.
