Doha: In one of the most emotionally charged moments of this year’s Doha Film Festival, the cast and real-life heroes behind the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” gathered for a deeply moving press briefing that brought audiences face-to-face with the human reality behind the story. The film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, opened the festival on Tuesday night, immediately becoming the centerpiece of conversations across Doha.
The briefing reunited the film’s creative team with members of the Palestinian Red Crescent who lived the tragedy of Hind Rajab the six-year-old girl trapped inside a car for hours under relentless gunfire in Gaza, a story that shook the world.
As the participants recounted the events that took place 21 months ago, the room fell silent. Many in the audience were visibly overcome with emotion, reflecting the weight of a story that continues to symbolize the suffering of millions of Palestinians. The press event unfolded not as a typical Q&A session, but as a collective remembrance.
Representatives of the Palestine Red Crescent Society including President Dr. Younis Al Khatib,, Director General Khaled Abu Ghosh, and frontline responders Nisreen Jiries, Rana Faqih, Omar Ahmed Alqam, Mahdi Jamal, Mohammed Ayyad and Nibal Farsakh, were honored for their courage and resilience. The cast members Amer Hlehel, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, and Saja al Kilani expressed pride in portraying characters rooted in real heroism.
Ben Hania emphasized that the film is not a retelling of events, but a work designed to build empathy Cinema has the power to make people feel. We don’t explain; we let the audience carry the emotion. My biggest aim was that Hind’s voice is never forgotten, she said.
She also revealed the reasoning behind crafting the entire story from inside the operations room of the Palestinian Red Crescent I could have told the story from Hind’s perspective, her mother’s, even the tank’s but the operations room was where the truth was clearest. Reality surpassed fiction.
One of the film’s most striking choices was the use of the original audio recording of Hind’s desperate call for help.Recreating it would have weakened the truth,” Ben Hania explained. “Her voice is alive. It is the heart of the film.”
Producer Nadim Cheikrouha described the production journey as one driven by responsibility more than resources We began with limited funding, but our mission was to amplify Hind’s voice. Global producers joined not for financing, but to expand the film’s reach.
For Omar Al Qaam, who appears in the film and lived the real event, the experience remains unforgettable When a child pleads for help, it shakes your soul. That voice must reach the world.
Actor Moataz Malhas, who portrays Omar, added After 16 years of acting, playing a real hero is the greatest honor.
Representatives of the Palestine Red Crescent added that since the war escalated, they have lost dozens of paramedics and several ambulances have been destroyed. “Yet our duty remains: to carry voices like Hind’s and preserve the dignity of those we serve.”
As the festival’s opening film, “ The Voice of Hind Rajab” stands out not only as a cinematic achievement, but as a testament to the power of storytelling to confront injustice and awaken collective conscience. It is a reminder that in the noise of conflict, the smallest voice Hind’s can become the loudest symbol of truth.
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