BFA

In January 2024, six-year-old Hind Rajab called the Palestinian Red Crescent from a car in Gaza. Her family had been killed around her, and she was left alone among the bodies, pleading for help. She told the dispatcher she was scared, her voice carrying both fear and hope that someone would come. Medics tried to reach her, but they never made it back. Days later, Hind and her relatives were found dead. Her voice was preserved on that call and quickly spread beyond Gaza, becoming a symbol of the human cost of war.

Director Kaouther Ben Hania took that moment and built The Voice of Hind Rajab. This film recreates the atmosphere inside the Red Crescent call center. The actors listen to Hind’s real recording, trying to comfort her while knowing their efforts cannot change the outcome. The choice to confine the story to a single room and to rely on sound rather than images makes the film stark and intimate, drawing the audience directly into the helplessness of that night.

When it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, the film received one of the longest ovations in the festival’s history. Critics noted its restraint and its refusal to sensationalize tragedy, instead letting Hind’s words speak for themselves. By blending art with testimony, the film ensures that Hind’s call is not forgotten, turning her voice into both a record of loss and a reminder of the lives silenced in conflict.