Palestinian Actor Motaz Malhees Talks ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’
Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees gets emotional just thinking about two lines from his film “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” the Oscar-nominated docudrama on 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab’s desperate plea to humanitarian workers in Gaza before she was killed by Israeli forces.
Malhees, who listened to actual recordings of Rajab’s call while she was trapped inside a car that was reportedly attacked by an Israeli military tank, said he experienced a panic attack hearing Rajab say she was in “the butterfly class” in preschool.
“That hit me deep in my heart,” said Malhees in an interview with JS.
Another line struck him: Rajab saying her loved ones in the car, likely dead while covered in blood, were “sleeping.”
The actor said the two moments “destroyed” him as he listened to Rajab’s call through an earpiece on set. It provided further fuel for him to help share the 5-year-old’s story with “every cell” in his body.
“Put your child there and think of the story — drop all the flags, all the names, all of everything. Put your child in there. This is abnormal. We are in a time where the world needs to really move and do something,” said Malhees of Israel’s devastating, U.S.-backed offensive in Gaza that has fueled a humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.
Courtesy of Watermelon Pictures/Watermelon+
Malhees — who plays emergency operator Omar Alqam of the Palestine Red Crescent Society — is among the all-Palestinian cast in Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s film, which is nominated for Best International Feature Film at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Filming began less than a year after Rajab and her cousin dialed the Palestine Red Crescent Society after the two, along with relatives, attempted to flee Gaza City when an Israeli tank pelted their vehicle with bullets, killing most of their loved ones, according to a detailed analysis by Forensic Architecture.
After her cousin was killed, the 5-year-old remained on the line as rescue workers tried to reach her and bring her to safety.
Two emergency workers, including two paramedics, tragically lost their lives while attempting to rescue her in an ambulance, likely due to Israeli forces, according to Forensic Architecture. The film captures Rajab conversing with Alqam, who, in reality, was caring for a newborn baby boy at the time. “He couldn’t interact with or hold him for a couple of months,” shared Malhees, who has since become friends with Alqam. “He confided in me about feeling disconnected from his son, as well as his wife.” The actor attributes his emotional dialogues with Alqam, whom he regards as a “hero,” to influencing his portrayal of the emergency worker on screen.
Since the film’s record-setting 23-plus-minute ovation following its premiere in Venice, it has garnered a Golden Globe nomination and widespread critical acclaim. Despite the film’s success, Malhees is unlikely to attend the Oscars this Sunday due to the Trump administration’s ban on entry to the United States for Palestinians, as highlighted by Zeteo last month. “It angers and pains me, but I view it from a different perspective,” Malhees expressed to JS. “I may be banned physically, but my art, my story, and my message to the world remain. I am present in every frame of this narrative with my spirit intact.”
The tale hits close to Malhees’ heart, as he vividly remembers being moved to tears and trembling while reading the script even before filming commenced. Growing up in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Malhees was only ten years old when Israeli forces launched an invasion of the camp in 2002, complete with tanks, vehicles, and helicopters, while cutting off access to basic necessities like electricity and water. Starting his acting journey at Jenin’s Freedom Theatre, he felt an immense duty in helping bring Rajab’s final moments to life on the big screen. “I am willing to give my all, pouring every ounce of my being, heart, and body into this project,” Malhees declared of the film. “I want the world to hear it, see this story, and ensure that such a tragedy never befalls other children again.” given sentence without changing its meaning:
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