The first-ever Doha Film Festival opened with an emotional and powerful start as it screened The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film that tells the tragic final moments of a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli fire in 2024 while trying to flee Gaza with her family.
The film, which won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival just two months earlier, has already gained global attention for its heartbreaking portrayal of Hind’s last phone call.
Hind was travelling with her relatives when their car came under attack. Badly injured and alone, she called Red Crescent volunteers for help. Despite her desperate pleas, she was later killed by Israeli fire.
Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film blends dramatized scenes with the real audio recording of Hind’s call. The full conversation between the terrified child and Red Crescent responders is included, with the sound of nearby gunfire making the moment even more painful to hear.
The cast delivers strong performances, but it is Hind’s own trembling voice that forms the emotional core of the film, representing the fear, suffering, and cries of thousands of children in Gaza.
Speaking at the festival, Hind’s mother said she still hears her daughter’s voice every day. “The voice of my daughter is the voice of the children of Gaza. Save the children of Gaza before its last light goes out,” she said. She added that she has not watched the film because she cannot bear to relive those moments.
Director Ben Hania said she had been working on a different project when she first heard Hind’s call and immediately felt compelled to tell her story. After contacting the Red Crescent, she received the full audio recording, which became the heart of the film. She chose a feature-film approach instead of a documentary to create a deeper emotional impact, noting that Al Jazeera had already covered the case in documentary form.
The opening of the Doha Film Festival has now placed global attention back on Hind Rajab’s story, one that continues to highlight the suffering of Palestinian children caught in conflict.
