Story perspectives

India Clears Oscar-Nominated Palestinian Film, Risks Israel Ties

6/3/2026

Summary

India Releases Film

India will release the Oscar-nominated film *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, directed by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania, on June 19 after Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) clearance.
Israeli fire hit Rajab’s car while she fled, trapping her with relatives’ bodies and causing a rescue ambulance later to be destroyed, killing two Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics.
A CBFC member warned the release could damage India-Israel relations.

Summary

Tunisia Oscar Submission

The film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” was submitted as Tunisia’s 2026 Oscar entry for International Feature Film but did not win.
It blends documentary footage with dramatizations and intercuts an audio recording of five-year-old Hind Rajab with actors reenacting her final moments.
Kaouther Ben Hania co-wrote and produced the co-production.
Distributor Manoj Nandwana thanked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for granting an ‘A’ certificate with no cuts.

Summary

Hania Drops Film

Director Kaouther Ben Hania said hearing Hind Rajab’s voice made her drop a funded film project.
She pursued a documentary because staying idle would feel like complicity in a war crime.
In a PTI interview, Hania called the experience anger and sadness she cannot “unhear”.
She warned that letting the “biggest gun” rule endangers children while the film mixes Hind’s audio with reenactments to keep her voice alive.

Summary

Hania Defends Film

Opposition MPs asked the government to have the certification board review the film under free-speech rules, prompting an ‘A’ certificate without cuts.
Jai Viratra Entertainment secured theatrical rights for documentary in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, tying Hind Rajab’s death to Israel’s Gaza offensive that began in October 2023.
Director Kaouther Ben Hania thanked Indian journalists, filmmakers and activists for defending the film’s right to be seen.

History

Historical Context

When the 1994 film *Bandit Queen* about Phoolan Devi premiered, the Central Board of Film Certification ordered 13 cuts and legal battles kept the ban in place, sparking a national debate. The episode set a precedent that now frames the CBFC’s scrutiny of Kaouther Ben Hania’s *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, which has received an ‘A’ certificate after political pressure.

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India Releases Film

India will release the Oscar-nominated film *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, directed by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania, on June 19 after Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) clearance.
Israeli fire hit Rajab’s car while she fled, trapping her with relatives’ bodies and causing a rescue ambulance later to be destroyed, killing two Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics.
A CBFC member warned the release could damage India-Israel relations.

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