The director – who received the blessing of Hind’s mother, Wesam, before making the movie – says she did her best to “respect the testimony” of the volunteers and what they told her about that day.
She did not reach out to the other side, because, she says: “My movie is not an investigation.
“The investigation was already done,” she adds, with reference to aforementioned findings, as well as those made by other major news providers including the Washington Post, external and Sky News, external.
Increasingly stressed scenes play out in the film between call centre worker Omar, played by Motaz Malhees, and his boss Mahdi, played by Amer Hlehel.
Mahdi is seeking a safe route approved by the Israeli army – via intermediaries – for his paramedics to make the eight-minute journey to carry out the rescue attempt.
Omar becomes exasperated at his boss’s insistence on trying to negotiate with Israel.
Actresses Saja Kilani and Clara Khoury, as fellow call centre workers Rana and Nisreen, respectively, complete the ensemble cast of actors of Palestinian origin.
We watch them hear the sound of gunfire or an explosion in the background before the phone connection is lost entirely.
“Even the actors, at some point, stop acting,” says their director. “They weren’t performing.”
Malhees confirms this. He tells us he suffered panic attacks during filming and thought his heart was “going to explode” during one scene, which for him was “like a real conversation with a child”.
“It was a hard experience, but it’s worth everything to give.”