Garbled by a failing connection and faint with terror, the voice of Hind Rajab filled the sold-out theatre at Cinema Akil in Dubai on Wednesday evening.
The crowd listened in silence as the five-year-old girl pleaded with workers at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to come and save her. Hind had been trapped for hours in a car in northern Gaza that had been fired upon by Israeli soldiers. Her four cousins, aunt and uncle had all been killed. Hiding in between their bodies, she pleaded into the phone for help.
Many in the theatre had heard Hind's voice before. Audio recordings of her conversations with the PRCS had been shared on social media in early 2024, spurring international outrage.
However, for most of the audience, Wednesday’s screening – marking the UAE premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajab – was the first in-depth understanding of what really happened to the young child who became a symbol of the tragedies many have endured in Gaza. It also delved into the rigmaroles of co-ordination and clearances that made it so difficult for the PRCS to reach Hind, despite their best efforts.
Sadly, when two paramedics finally received the green light to make the eight-minute drive to Hind, the ambulance was shelled and they died. About an hour later, so did she.
These are not spoilers. Hind's death has been widely reported. But Kaouther Ben Hania’s film – which has been shortlisted for the Oscars – reconstructs, humanely and with forensic precision, the events surrounding the killings. The dramatised passages are based on testimonies and recordings of what happened on that day on January 29, 2024. The film, as such, blurs the divide between documentary and drama.
Punctuated with stifled sobs, the silence from the audience at Cinema Akil was a vigil of sorts – an expression of reverence to Hind and all those who have lost their lives since October 2023. Suspense also contributed to the silence. Even though her tragic fate was known, it was hard to subdue the stinging sense of hope that the little girl might be saved.
Speaking in a virtual Q&A after the screening, Ben Hania said she deliberately set out to instil this aspect into the film. When she first came across recordings of Hind's conversations online, the Tunisian director said she could not help but feel Hind could still be saved.
“Her voice was so alive, so immediate, that the first compulsion is to save her,” Ben Hania said. “The ambulance was merely eight minutes away from Hind’s car, so it was possible to save her. I tried to do the film in the present tense, where we go back to this moment.
“The killing of Hind Rajab was a shame on humanity,” Ben Hania added. “It was possible to save her; the Red Crescent did everything in their power to save her. But under those circumstances, living under an occupational system, it was impossible. I wanted to show all those elements.”
The fact that The Voice of Hind Rajab is not an easy film to go through is precisely why it is necessary to watch. Like with its record-breaking 24-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival, the film concluded at Cinema Akil with solemn applause.
“The movie evokes a lot of deep emotions,” an audience member, Reema G, said after the screening. “Any human being with some decency will be triggered watching this. But the most important thing about the movie is that it sends a strong message about why we need to stand up, loudly, against injustice. It’s important to see movies like this.”
The sentiment was echoed across several of the film’s audience members at Cinema Akil. “My heart is still beating quickly,” Marwa Khosd said. “It was a very hard movie to watch. It does represent what we are not seeing in Gaza. It represents the sufferings of children in Gaza.
“We all cried watching the movie, but I’m happy I watched this. I’m happy that people globally are watching this and that it’s getting nominated for the Oscars and a lot of other places. I appreciate everyone who worked on the movie. May God have mercy on Hind.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab is now in cinemas in the UAE and the wider region
