THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB World Cinema

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB

On January 29, 2024, five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and six members of her family attempted to flee to safety during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military shelled and shot at the fleeing vehicle, killing Hind’s family and trapping the young girl in the wreckage of the car. Hind was able to place a call to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society desperately begging for help but the aid workers dispatched to her rescue were also murdered by the Israeli forces — as, ultimately, Hind was herself. Instead of directly depicting this horrific atrocity, celebrated Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania (FOUR DAUGHTERS, AFI FEST 2023) centers the drama of her latest film within the offices of the Palestinian Red Crescent, chronicling the efforts of the aid workers tasked with maintaining an open phone line to Hind while navigating a byzantine bureaucracy in order to get her the help she needs. In a bold and inspired move, Ben Hania utilizes the real audio of Hind’s phone calls in the film, blurring the line between fiction and documentary, yet never feeling exploitative; in fact, Ben Hania made the film with the support of Hind’s mother and the valiant real-life workers who coordinated the rescue effort. Tunisia’s Oscar® entry for Best International Feature Film, THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB is no doubt a heartbreaking watch but is also an urgent examination of the inefficient and complex systems humanitarian aid organizations work within — and commemorates a life taken too soon by a brutal genocide. –Javier Chavez

Kaouther Ben Hania constantly explores the boundaries between fiction and documentary. Her previous film, FOUR DAUGHTERS, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards® after being presented in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Théo Lionel
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MEMBERS & PASSHOLDERS

Screenings

October 25, 6:45 p.m.

Chinese 6

Details

Country: Tunisia, France

Year: 2025

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Screenwriter: Kaouther Ben Hania

Producers: Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae, James Wilson

Executive Producers: Elizabeth Woodward, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, Alfonso Cuaron

Director of Photography: Juan Sarmiento G.

Editors: Qutaiba Barhamji, Maxime Mathis, Kaouther Ben Hania

Production Designer: Bassem Marzouk

Costume Designer: Khadija Zeggai

Music: Amine Bouhafa

Cast/Featuring: Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, Amer Hlehel

Running Time (minutes): 89

Language: Arabic

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