Audience rose to its feet and not many eyes were dry when The Voice of Hind Rajab was screened at the ongoing Venice Film Festival.
Hind Rajab is a young girl in Gaza. On January 29, 2024, she was trapped in a car for 70 minutes in this war-torn area.
An Israeli tank had killed her family and she appealed to a Palestinian Red Cross team over phone to save her. The six-year old’s call is the kernel around which Tunisian director Kouther Ben Hania’s film is built.
It depicts the young girl’s final hours. The despair of the medics who are only 8 minutes away yet unable to rescue her without jumping through multiple bureaucratic hoops.
It was the voice of Gaza calling out for help on screen. But it could not be reached.
There are luckier children than Hind. Yet there are rips and seams in this picture of resilence.
The canvas flaps of the tents on background are reminder of the homes these children have lost. The roar of the aircraft flying above briefly muffle their voices.
It is a pointer to the ever-present violence. Yet there is a quiet defiance and hope
Ahmad Azad cradling his cat Simba is eight. He offers a tour of his tomato and zucchini plants in his container garden.
Gaza has endured much since October, 2023 which at times appear to be overwhelming. Its children shows what the world stands to lose if it looks away.
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