KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — The Voice of Hind Rajab, a critically acclaimed and harrowing documentary film chronicling the final hours of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, will be released in Malaysian cinemas this Thursday.
Local distributor Primeworks Studios has acquired the rights to screen the award-winning film nationwide.
Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the docu-drama reconstructs the real-life tragedy of Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car under fire from Israeli forces on January 29, 2024.
The film uses a powerful hybrid format, featuring the actual 70-minute audio recordings of Hind’s desperate calls to Palestine Red Crescent dispatchers, while actors portray the rescue workers racing against time to save her.
The film follows the volunteers who received Hind’s plea for rescue and their attempts to dispatch an ambulance while trying to keep the terrified child on the line.
Actors Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Amer Hlehel, and Clara Khoury portray the dispatchers and rescue workers in the reenacted scenes.
Since its premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize, The Voice of Hind Rajab has become a global symbol of the plight of Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The film has garnered significant international recognition, including being selected as Tunisia’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards and earning a nomination for Best Non-English Language Film at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards.
The project has also attracted support from Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, who have signed on as executive producers to help amplify the film’s message.
According to a forensic investigation by Al-Jazeera and independent NGOs, the car Hind and her family were in was riddled with 335 bullet holes.
Their bodies were recovered 12 days after the incident.
