The highly-praised film tells the horrific story of six-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, whom Israel had killed on January 29, 2024.
The Doha Film Festival kicked off on Thursday evening with the Middle East premiere of The Voice of Hind Rajab, a powerful film backed by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) that has amplified the voices of Palestinians under Israeli genocide in Gaza.
The red carpet at the Katara Cultural Village saw the attendance of DFI Chairperson Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, DFI CEO Fatma Alremaihi, and Qatar’s Minister of Education and Higher Education Lolwah Al-Khater.
The Voice of Hind Rajab’s cast and crew, led by director Kaouther Ben Hania, received a warm welcome at the red carpet, especially as they were accompanied by Wessam Hamada, the mother of Hind Rajab.
The highly-praised film tells the horrific story of six-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, whom Israel killed in cold blood on January 29, 2024, by firing 335 bullets at a car from close range, trapping her alongside the bodies of her relatives in the Gaza Strip.
Hind Rajab’s voice, crying desperately for help over the phone before her killing, shook the world while exposing Israel’s ongoing genocidal crimes against Palestinians living and dying under siege in the Gaza Strip.
The film got a record 22-minute standing ovation during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Alremaihi spoke to Doha News at the red carpet moments ahead of the film’s regional premiere, praising its powerful storytelling.
“[The Doha Film Festival] is a very, very important, major public platform for any film. The Voice of Hind Rajab did not really need that platform. It’s a good film that is travelling the world, that’s getting acclaimed everywhere in the world,” Alremaihi said.
“Having it here is a privilege for us more than for the film itself,” she added.
Addressing the crowd at the festival, an emotional Hamada said she could not bring herself to watch the film, which serves as a reminder of her painful last moments on the phone with her murdered daughter.
“Since her passing, Hind, my love and comfort, my days are no longer days. Time passes without a heartbeat. While a mother searches in silence for her daughter’s voice, I lost my only daughter and at that moment, the whole world lost its colour,” Hamada said.
Meanwhile, major celebrities from the region and globally had a star-studded presence at the event, including Tunisian actor Dhafer L’abidine and Tunisian actress Dorra Zarouk. Turkish stars were also present, including Ayca Aysin Turan and Engin Altan Duzyatan.
The Festival features four competitions with prizes totalling more than $300,000 (more than QAR 1m), while having side events lined up including Geekdom and concerts by top artists, including Zeyne, Elyanna, and Saint Levant among others.
The event has also showcased Qatar’s culture by having its theme song composed by leading Qatari composer and songwriter, Dana Al Fardan, in collaboration with Katara Studios and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
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