From Gaza to LA, hopes rise as The Voice of Hind Rajab heads to the Oscars

The critically acclaimed docudrama that reconstructs the killing of a five-year-old girl in Gaza is nominated for best international feature.Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania holds a picture of Hind Rajab on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of The Voice of Hind Rajab at the Venice Film Festival, on September 3, 2025 [Yara Nardi/Reuters]Published On 13 Mar 2026The Voice of Hind Rajab is a call to action, its makers and supporters have told Al Jazeera, and hopes are high for the Oscar-nominated film in the run-up to Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.The Gaza-set docudrama, which is up for Best International Feature, reconstructs Israel’s killing of the five-year-old.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Al Jazeera documentary reveals new evidence in Hind Rajab family’s killinglist 2 of 4New Gaza festival for women’s cinema shares Hind Rajab’s storylist 3 of 4Giant Hind Rajab portrait unveiled in Spain for anniversary of her killinglist 4 of 4Director rejects award over Israel’s genocidal war in Gazaend of listOn January 24, 2024, at about 7:30pm, Hind died of her injuries while she was trapped in a car, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives, after her family was forcibly displaced hours earlier from Gaza City. They had attempted to follow orders and leave. But on their way, Israel’s army fired more than 300 bullets at the black Kia driven by Hind’s uncle.Hind has become a global symbol for the suffering of Palestinian children, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war.“The Oscars are important because it’s one of the biggest platforms in the world for a film,” one of the film’s producers, Odessa Rae, told Al Jazeera by phone from Los Angeles. “The goal of this film is obviously to be seen by the widest audience possible … the Oscars allows it to accomplish more in the world.”Some Palestinians, too, are watching on with anticipation.In Gaza, filmmaker Mohammed al-Sawwaf told Al Jazeera, “The arrival of Hind Rajab’s voice to these platforms, and its ability to break through the indifference that exists there, is in itself something extremely valuable.”He added, “A story of a human being from Gaza has been presented as the story of a person with a life and meaning, rather than the image of a Palestinian appearing as a number on news screens or as evidence of an event within the framework of war.”Gaza-based filmmakers Mohammed al-Sawwaf, left, and Ibrahim al-Otla hope The Voice of Hind Rajab wins an Oscar as it humanises the reality of Palestinian suffering [Courtesy: Mohammed al-Sawwaf]‘Devastating message will reach further’The film uses Hind’s real voice, recorded on emergency calls with the Red Crescent, in the moments before she was killed by Israeli forces.“I hope fervently that this remarkable film will win in its Oscar category, so that its devastating message will reach further, and have greater impact on those in government in a position to bring this bloodshed to an end,” Juliet Stevenson, a British actor and one of the UK’s most prominent pro-Palestine voices, told Al Jazeera.The 89-minute feature tells Hind’s story from the perspective of the Palestinian Red Crescent workers who attempted to save her, but were blocked from reaching her by Israeli forces.Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, a Tunisian who cast an ensemble of Palestinian actors, the film has captivated critics, won awards and, in September, received a 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.On Thursday, US lawmakers introduced the “Justice for Hind Rajab Act”, legislation aimed at accountability – a “step towards justice in Hind’s story”, said Rae.Wissam Hamada, Hind’s mother, was separated from her daughter, having left by foot on the fateful day. Though she is unable to watch the film, as hearing Hind’s voice is still too much to bear, she has travelled with the filmmakers to several cities to speak about the unimaginable impact of Israel’s war on children.An Oscar “would need to do more than recognise cinematic excellence – it must recognise that the story of a child and the suffering of an entire people cannot be erased or ignored”, Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute, told Al Jazeera. “Awards alone do not change the reality on the ground. If the most visible platform in cinema recognises this film, it must also come with a commitment from the global community to protect and amplify the truth of the brutality we continue to witness every day.”At first, Israel denied that its soldiers were even in the area where Hind was killed. After journalistic investigations, including by Al Jazeera, the army said it had raided “terror targets” in Gaza City that day. In January, Israeli officials told the BBC that they were reviewing the case.“The hope is that such recognition is more than applause, but that it helps transform awareness into accountability and ensure that the humanity at the heart of Gaza’s suffering is neither denied nor forgotten,” Alremaihi said.‘Don’t leave me alone’: Hind’s last wordsBefore her life was cruelly cut short, Hind had witnessed some of the worst of Israel’s atrocities.In her last moments of life, she had begged her mother on the phone, “Don’t leave me alone, Mama. I am tired. I am thirsty. And I am wounded.”“A story like Hind Rajab’s represents a symbol of thousands of other stories,” said al-Sawwaf, the filmmaker in Gaza. “There are thousands of women and men who had full lives, details, and dreams that are no less human than hers … People in Gaza do not look at the Oscars or the arrival of these films as something capable of stopping the war, ending injustice, or changing reality.”The real impact, he believes, lies in changing how the world perceives what is happening in Palestine, and adds that “it may not change reality in a revolutionary way, but it changes how people view what is happening here.”Two years after Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began, a “ceasefire” was reached in October, 2025. But since then, hundreds of people have been killed in Israeli attacks.“Despite mountains of news footage, and a large number of searing films and documentaries chronicling the catastrophe, the world is largely choosing to turn its back on the destruction of the Palestinian homeland, the pounding of their entire infrastructure, the murder of their people, the violation of their rights and freedoms. Future generations will be bewildered and horrified,” Stevenson said.“But this film – The Voice of Hind Rajab – has managed to penetrate through to the mainstream cultural forums. In being nominated for an Oscar, it brings these acts of barbarism and cruelty to those in a position to act, and make change.”Gaza filmmaker Ibrahim al-Otla, who works alongside al-Sawwaf, said the film “conveys the truth about deliberate killings, field executions, and the erasure of entire families from the civil registry”.“It helps deliver the real picture and expose the crimes committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza, [but] what is happening in Gaza is far more difficult than what the world sees in these films.”A child walks near the car where Hind was found along with the bodies of her family members. Two ambulance workers who had gone to save her were also killed in Gaza City, February 10, 2024 [Reuters]