16/01/2026

LYFE FRIDAY | JAN 16, 2026

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

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Tale of resilience, courage, survival T HE director of Oscar-shortlisted film Palestine 36 said her big-budget production about Israel’s devastating invasion of Gaza in October 2023. cinematically ambitious of four productions that deal with the Israeli Palestinian conflict that are in the running for an Academy Award in March. o Big-budget movie Palestine 36 gets shortlisted for Oscar nomination 1974 but is now living in the Israeli port Haifa. The Gaza war, sparked by an unprecedented attack by the Hamas militant group on Israel, saw US President Donald Trump Commissioner

and Franco Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass from Succession as a defiant village elder. The project almost never made it to screens with the war in Gaza starting just as filming was about to start in the West Bank in late 2023. Annemarie had built a typical village from the 1930s over 12 months, but had to abandon the site and move the cast to Jordan. “We planted crops and we built the bus, all the vehicles, the tanks, we made guns, the costumes. Then we lost it all after Oct 7... It was a nightmare, a financial disaster. Thank God for our financiers, including the BBC, the British Film Institute. Nobody abandoned us,” she added. The film is a sweeping fictionalised story set in the context of real events, with the dramatic climax being the Peel Commission that proposed the partition of Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state. Ninety years later, with Palestinians limited to the destroyed Gaza enclave and the Israeli controlled West Bank and under constant pressure from settlers, Annemarie said she no longer believes in a two-state solution. Her vision? “You live as one people, one place without borders, without control. There is no other way.” She will find out later this month if her film gets the nod for an Oscar nomination as Best International Feature. Another film about Palestinians, the gut-wrenching The Voice of Hind Rajab about a girl killed during the Gaza war, also made the 15-strong shortlist which is set to be reduced to five.

and far-right Israeli government ministers openly discuss displacing Palestinians or annexing their remaining ancestral land. Annemarie explained most accounts of modern Palestinian history begin with the creation of the state of Israel after World War II which led to the “Nakba” in 1948, the uprooting of nearly half the Palestinian population. “We always start Palestinian history with the Nakba,” she said. As the title of her film suggests, she focuses on 1936 when colonial-era Britain was struggling to administer the holy land for which it assumed responsibility at the end of World War I. Palestine was a hotbed of resentment and the scene of clashes between the Muslim-majority Palestinian population and newly arrived Jewish immigrants, most of whom were fleeing persecution in Europe. “1936 is so critical and there’s really been nothing done about it. And it sets the stage for everything,” she explained. Disaster She follows a large cast of characters, from villagers losing their land to Zionist settlers, members of the corrupt Palestinian economic elite, as well as the brutally repressive British army and administrators. Its mostly Arabic-speaking cast includes Oscar-winning British actor Jeremy Irons as a cynical British High

Making the movie was a “financial disaster”, she admitted in an interview with AFP, but encouraging critical reaction since its debut in September 2025 and its shortlisting for an Oscar have offered solace. Nominated by Palestine for Best International Feature, it is the most

a crucial but little-known Arab rebellion is a statement about Palestinians “refusal to disappear”. Veteran filmmaker Annemarie Jacir started production on the sweeping historical epic just before

“The cinema is not going to save us. But it’s about the refusal to disappear and this film for us was our refusal,” said Annemarie, a Palestinian born in Bethlehem in

Annemarie says cinema is not going to save the Palestianians but it is their refusal to disappear, and the film is their refusal. – AFPPIC

Movie captures harrowing moments of Hind Rajab that will never fade IN a world that often moves too fast to pause and listen, one small voice continues to echo calling for attention and empathy. The Voice of Hind Rajab , a cinematic work rooted in real events, invites audiences into the final moments of a six-year-old girl trapped amid conflict, a story not imagined but recorded by history. Published by Mime Films and Tanit Films, with Primeworks Studios as the official distributor and marketing partner, the film features an international cast that includes Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Amer Hlehel and Clara Khoury. Directed by renowned Tunisian filmmaker for the first time, it was harrowing, filled with helplessness, sadness and anger all at once. The Palestinian Red Crescent gave me all the recordings of her voice and they were incredibly difficult to listen to. “In the recording, Hind describes where she is, who is sitting next to her, the car and the tank approaching. The sound was powerful because it was real and authentic. In many ways, the voice of Hind Rajab becomes the voice of Gaza itself.” to think about how we can make sure this never happens to any child again, ever. Each of us can do something, even if it feels small. Sometimes the smallest actions can be the most effective.”

The Voice of Hind Rajab has received international recognition, including the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival 2025 and its inclusion among the Top 15 in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards (98th edition, 2026). These honours underscore the film’s relevance and reinforce its significance within the global cinematic landscape. This film has also secured support from executive producers such as Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, proving its story transcends industry and political boundaries, resonating deeply with universal humanity. In line with this, the promotion of The Voice of Hind Rajab is being driven through the Hind Rajab: Suara Terakhir campaign, a collaboration with Mercy Malaysia, supported by the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, as part of a broader humanitarian initiative. At the same time, the campaign is further strengthened through awareness advocacy led by its three

The Voice of Hind Rajab avoids showing violence outright, opting instead for a deeply psychological and human approach. The film centres on the emotional weight carried by emergency responders, the despair heard through a phone call and the helplessness of human beings when time – and distance separate life from death. It allows audiences, especially those unfamiliar with developments in Gaza, to understand the reality not through news coverage or statistics but through the plea of one small voice seeking help. Echoing this message, lead actor Motaz Malhees reflected on the impact he expressed hopes that the film will leave on audiences. “I hope people go home and think about what they can do. I want them

Kaouther Ben Hania, the film is inspired by a real incident that took place on Jan 29, 2024, when a Palestine Red Crescent Society volunteer received an emergency call from a child trapped inside a car under gunfire. The voice on the other end of the line was Hind Rajab. At the heart of the film lies the actual emergency call recording, real, unedited and unstaged, which transforms The Voice of Hind Rajab into a deeply moving audio-visual memorial. Reflecting on the moment that shaped the film, Kaouther Ben Hania shared hearing Hind’s voice for the first time was an experience that stayed with her long after. “When I heard Hind Rajab’s voice

Experience this inspiring true story on the big screen.

main Rashid Ahmad, Ahmad Fedtri Yahya and Uyaina Arshad, chosen for their credibility, audience reach and long-standing connections with voices, Zainal

the Malaysian community. The film is presented in Arabic and English, complete with Malaysian subtitles and is now screening in selected cinemas.