The Voice of Hind Rajab is the most important film you’ll see this year

At this time of year, with awards season in full pelt, Dry January biting and things generally being a bit rubbish, cinema is a refuge and a respite. There are films you want to see, like Marty Supreme. Films that you should see, like Hamnet and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Films that you should see again: Sinners, now that it’s had 16 Oscar nominations, the most of any film ever.

But films you absolutely need to see, and see in a cinema, surrounded by other people? There’s only one: The Voice of Hind Rajab. The harrowing 89-minute docudrama is crafted around the recording of a phone call made by Hind Rajab, a six-year-old who lived in Gaza.

On 29^th January 2024 – two years ago next week – the car in which she was travelling with six members of her family was blasted by an Israeli army tank. Everyone was killed apart from Hind. She called the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah, and for 70 minutes, the injured little girl pleaded for help. But the desperate call-handlers couldn’t get the necessary IDF clearances, or assurances of safety, to dispatch an ambulance crew. Hind died.

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, enraged and inspired, sought the permission of the Red Crescent and Hind’s mum Wissam Hamada to build a film around the audio recording. Back in November 2024 and over an intense two weeks, Kaouther and her team recreated the Ramallah call centre with actors playing Red Crescent workers, acting around the audio of Hind’s desperate pleas for help.

After premiering at least year’s Venice Film Festival, The Voice of Hind Rajab won seven awards (including the Grand Jury Prize) and received a 23-minute standing ovation, the longest in the festival’s history. This month, it was longlisted for two BAFTAs, for Best Film Not in English Language and Best Director. This week, it was nominated for an Oscars in the Best International Feature category.

Saja Kilani plays Rana Hassan Faqih, one of four real-life Red Crescent workers who are portrayed in the film. Here, the 28-year-old actor – born to Palestinian parents in Jordan and who studied theatre in Canada – breaks down the creation, urgency and importance of The Voice of Hind Rajab.

Congratulations on the film, Saja. You went for the audition not knowing what it was for. How did Kaouther Ben Hania explain it to you?

She reached out to my agent and was looking for Palestinian actors. She wanted it to be as authentic as possible – [I did] an improv scene, unrelated to the film, where Rana is telling a story about her being on the phone with a woman, helping her give birth. We didn’t know what the film was about. Kaouther only revealed it once I was called back for a second audition.

Kaouther decided that you wouldn’t hear Hind’s recorded voice until the moment filming began, when you heard her in Rana’s call-centre headset. So you’re responding as a human before you’re responding as an actor.

A hundred per cent. And because we shot in one location, we were able to do it chronologically. So every day was the first time we were hearing that part of the recording. That was a brilliant decision. Kaouther really brought out the raw reaction.

At the film’s outset, a very tired Rana is about to go off-shift when Hind’s call comes in. How important was it for you to get into how physically and emotionally she was feeling before the trauma of this call unfolds?

It was a bit tricky, because as actors we know what happened to Hind versus [what they knew] at the time. When Rana was leaving, when they received the phone call from Hind, she didn’t know what that phone call was going to be. And she was extremely exhausted. So it was important to show that Hind is not the only case that they’ve dealt with – unfortunately, it’s one of many.

How did you find having to do repeated takes with this very emotional, very difficult material?

At first I thought I would find that challenging. When you cry for the first time and you’re asked to cry again, you’re wondering if it’s gonna come out as real as the first take. But with this, the minute you hit that spot, it was coming every single take. I was genuinely listening. I did not want to act in any way. I just wanted to be present and hear this young voice.

Every time I felt it might be getting too much or I might not be able to do another take, I’d remind myself: I’m just telling the story, versus: they lived it. And they’re still living it. So this constant reminder of reality is what kept me going.

What concerns did you have about the ethics of the words of a dying child being used as the narrative heart of a film?

I was worried that there would be a reenactment of the voice. So I really admire that Kaouther made this brilliant decision not to do that. I think it was the most ethical way to approach this. Because you are telling a story of a six-year-old, and you want to be respectful to that.

Did you meet or speak with Hind’s mother, Wissam, before filming?

Kaouther spoke to her. When she first decided to make this film, she wanted to get her consent. And Wissam said something that, to me, was the biggest validation. This is not quote for quote, but it was something along the lines of: she’s proud that this film is made because her daughter’s story would have just been lost in the news. Just another number.

And now I’m seeing what that means. This happened in January 2024 and right now it’s January 2026 and we’re talking about the story, which to me, means everything.

We met Wissam a few months ago at Doha Film Festival, they invited her. She’s such an incredibly strong woman, she’s so funny, so real.

How was it for you when you first saw the finished film?

First, I saw it on my own and I realised I don’t like to watch myself! The second time was at the premiere in Venice. Watching it with a group of people inside a room was, to me, a much different experience. Which is why I encourage people to go see it at the cinema. The energy is bouncing off the room, and you feel like we’re this one community bearing witness.

That history-making, 23-minute ovation at Venice: what did the emotions in the room feel like?

I wish I could describe it, but there was this wind – you really can feel the claps. The applause was so loud that you could feel it. I was looking around at all the faces, and a lot of them were non-Arabs, non-Palestinian. So you see how a story like this can resonate globally.

The film has been the focus of discussions in the House of Lords in London, at the EU in Brussels and at the United Nations in New York. That’s obviously not about awards season campaigning, but what is the importance of those events?

Those were the most important screenings that we’ve had with the film. It’s beyond awards season and campaigning. The work wasn’t just to film this. My work wasn’t just to act. I didn’t join this film because of my love for acting. The real work started when the film was released, because it’s important to keep the dialogue going. To keep this conversation in Q&A’s, in interviews, and especially in spaces where decision-makers spent a lot of time. To reach those in power is, I think, the most important thing.

You’re currently at home in Jordan, but you’ve been travelling all over the world doing interviews and promoting the movie. When the film that you are talking about has such real life, and ongoing horror and brutality at its heart, how does it feel to be taking part in the awards season campaign circus?

I want to be proud of the film, but at the same time, like you said, you can’t deny what is being talked about. You can’t look away from that. And being in such rooms is quite ironic. But I had a conversation recently with Hind’s mother about how she feels about us attending these award shows and walking these carpets and glam and all that stuff.

And she told me something that I appreciated. She said: ​“At the end of the day, you are representing us as people, besides just Hind. And we need to eradicate the stereotypes that we have against us.” She [says] the first thing she [thinks] of when she’s leaving her house was her make-up bag. That’s just a testament to how Arab women in general care about how they look and how they act, even in dire situations. It’s just who we are. It’s part of our culture.

So there’s campaigning of a different kind happening here?

I’m using these stages to change that narrative by also relying on different forms of art. For me, fashion, for example, is a language of its own. I wanted to bring with me designers from our region that I felt deserved exposure, because their work also speaks what words cannot.

Which are those brands that are meaningful to you?

Reema Dahbour designed the embroidered dress that I wore at the Golden Globes. It was important for her and I to create a custom dress. There’s also another incredible creative director that helped me with my Venice premiere look, Farah Hourani. Farah designed that dress from scratch as well. We wanted to embody the warrior side of Hind.

How important are the Oscars be for you?

Actually, I have a funny story about that from when I was young. I had this bio on my Instagram that said ​“98^th Academy Awards”, because I was born in 1998. I always had that dream of one day making it there. And I found out that this year is the 98^th Academy Awards! So that’s a personal manifestation of mine!

But obviously, to be shortlisted amongst the best films in that year is incredible. I hope that further amplifies the voice of Hind. I’ve had a lot of people that found out about this film from the shortlist, which is also an incredible thing. So I’m grateful for that, too.

How does this film memorialise Hind?

This film is not a way to victimise Palestinians, but more to show their courage. Hind was a lot more mature than her age. Unfortunately, that’s the case with a lot of children in Gaza. A lot of children under occupation mature a lot earlier than they need to. I find them so strong and smart. I wanted to also bring that in those spaces. The strength, I feel it in me. I feel connected to Hind, and I want to honour that side of her, too.

The Voice of Hind Rajab is cinemas now