Kaouther Ben Hania\u2019s film is more effective than documentaries from the region, because it is factual and elicits an emotional reaction from the viewer<\/p>\n
\u201cCome get me. They\u2019re shooting!\u201d<\/p>\n
Long after seeing The Voice of Hind Rajab, the five-year-old\u2019s voice still echoed in my ears. It became impossible to unhear her confused, scared and desperate cry for help. Kaouther Ben Hania, who was compelled to direct the film after chancing upon Rajab\u2019s voice while scrolling through social media, is standing on an ethical minefield here. A fictional film \u2013 which splices real-life recordings between the Red Crescent volunteers and Rajab into itself \u2013 it could\u2019ve resulted in a jarring, self-conscious film. But to the makers\u2019 credit the hybrid form of the film feels almost seamless while recreating the crushing disappointment of the war room \u2013 where a handful of volunteers spend an entire day trying to arrange an ambulance to rescue the child. This could have been a sentimental, exploitative film, but it\u2019s, again, Ben Hania\u2019s ability to hold back at the right time that made The Voice of Hind Rajab one of the most essential films of last year. The film is magical in the way it fuses truthfulness and creative license.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise that among the dozen films to have emerged from Gaza in 2025, Ben Hania\u2019s film has stood out. It got a 24-minute standing ovation at its premiere in the Venice film festival 2025, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. Featuring A-list names like Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer, Spike Lee (among others) as executive producers, it also won the Cinema for Peace award at the Berlinale 2026, where Ben Hania turned down the award for the jury\u2019s diktat on the festival\u2019s platform to keep it apolitical. <\/a>\u201cPeace is not a perfume to be sprayed over violence. If we talk about peace, we must talk about justice,\u201d Ben Hania said on stage before refusing to accept the award at the Berlinale. The Voice of Hind Rajab is probably more effective than a documentary because while being factual \u2013 it can also elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer \u2014 something a documentary might be considered too intimidating for. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Also read: ‘Think We\u2019re Not Angry Enough’: Kaouther Ben Hania on \u2018The Voice of Hind Rajab\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n While most Oscar nominees have been released in India, Ben Hania\u2019s film remains conspicuously absent. The film\u2019s devastating clarity might be a major reason behind its long pending release. When Ben Hania spoke to The Wire in February, she had mentioned that the film had an Indian distributor, and the film had been submitted for a censor certificate. However, as it has become a recent phenomenon with the Censor board under chairperson Prasoon Joshi, controversial films are either prescribed an unreasonable number of cuts (like it happened with Panjab \u201895<\/a> and Santosh<\/a> recently) or there is radio silence from the body for prolonged periods. It\u2019s apparent why Ben Hania\u2019s film might be cited as an \u2018inconvenience\u2019 by the censorial powers \u2013 because of how it depicts the blatant culpability of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) turning the siege in Gaza into a virtual killing sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a scene in Ben Hania\u2019s film, a character mentions how the Israeli forces have also introduced signal jammers in areas where relief work is being carried out. In another scene, a character begs his superior to get in touch with the Israeli army, asking them to rescue the child, film it and use it as their \u2018propaganda\u2019. It\u2019s a measure suggested by a relief worker out of desperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n The question obviously arises then, is Ben Hania\u2019s film a piece of \u2018propaganda\u2019 against Israel, as most Israeli politicians have been claiming? That\u2019s not likely because Ben Hania\u2019s film is based on real-life recordings and accounts by volunteers working at the Red Crescent. As much as one might be tempted to poke holes in the factuality of the film, the characters in Ben Hania\u2019s film never feel two-dimensional. There\u2019s enough complexity within them, something that comes to light in the temperaments of Omar (Motaz Malhees) and Mahdi (Amer Hlehel). Omar is the one on call with Hind, and Mahdi is the superior responsible for coordinating the closest ambulance, helping them navigate through a city reduced to rubble.\u00a0<\/p>\n Omar is the bleeding-heart pacifist in the situation while it\u2019s part of Mahdi\u2019s job to be the stone-hearted pragmatist. Mahdi is more abreast with the proper channels for rescue, where he can seek the IDF\u2019s \u2018permission\u2019 for a secure route for an ambulance. As much as he wants to rescue the civilians trapped, he also has to protect his rescue personnel. A driver entering an unauthorised route might result in the ambulance being blown up or shot at by an IDF tank. As Hind cries for help over several hours, Omar and Mahdi butt heads about the \u2018ethics\u2019 of relief work. It doesn\u2019t function on good intentions alone \u2013 and one can\u2019t even begin to understand the depths of trauma of hearing a child\u2019s cries over the phone, while helplessly waiting for the green light from the very people inflicting violence.<\/p>\n Films around the Russia-Ukraine war, and documentaries emerging out of Gaza have even been barred from playing in Indian film festivals \u2013 which may not require a censor certificate, but do need an no-objection certificate from the Information and Broadcasting ministry. Last year\u2019s Oscar winner, No Other Land, was pulled from the MAMI 2024 line-up at the last minute. More recently, at IFFK 2025, 19 films were not cleared for censor exemption, thereby preventing the screening of acclaimed films like All That\u2019s Left of You (2025) and Once Upon a Time In Gaza (2025). The Kerala state government defied the central government\u2019s orders, and allowed the films to be screened.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking at events in the last two years, most people wouldn\u2019t be surprised by the cloud over The Voice of Hind Rajab\u2019s release in India. Something that might have gotten even more complicated after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s recent visit to Israel, where he endorsed his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu as a long-term strategic partner. It might appear that the censor board, which has conveniently approved films conforming to the central government\u2019s ideology, will be even less enthused now.\u00a0<\/p>\n For a film that ends by stating Hind Rajab\u2019s car had over 300 bullet holes and the ambulance was found with shell fragments from an Israeli tank, it\u2019s understandable why Ben Hania\u2019s film might never release in India in the given circumstances. In a world of universal deceit, Ben Hania\u2019s film lays out the unvarnished truth a bit too succinctly. As Malhees wrote on Instagram<\/a>, after being denied a US visa to attend the Oscars because of his Palestinian passport \u2013 you can block a passport, you can\u2019t block a voice. Similarly, you can delay or prevent the release of a film, but the CBFC can\u2019t stop the voice of Hind Rajab from being heard around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n *The Voice of Hind Rajab has been nominated for the Best International Feature at the Oscars 2026, and is still awaiting an official release in India.<\/p>\n This article went live on March fifteenth, two thousand twenty six, at thirty-two minutes past twelve at noon.<\/p>\n