The Gaza that haunts us
Source: in-cyprus.com
Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos appeared at the Venice Film Festival wearing a Palestine flag-coloured pin on his lapel, whilst Susan Sarandon is currently aboard a small vessel, as part of a flotilla heading towards blockaded Gaza.
One could easily dismiss these as low-risk gestures that offer nothing substantial. However, one action builds upon another, and reactions gain momentum.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, defending the “Stop Killing Children” banner that provoked Israeli criticism, accused those who defend the “slaughter” of children whilst wars in Gaza and Ukraine continue to rage. Čeferin defended the message: ” We are not living on another planet. We are living in this world. And when you see children dying all around the world because of — it’s a diplomatic statement, if I say — reckless politicians. Whoever thinks that ‘Stop Killing Children, Stop Killing Civilians’ is a political message is an idiot, for me.” He added that the banner controversy is symptomatic of a world “blighted” by populism and extreme voices.
Another piece added to the mosaic of reactions against barbarism is the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, which premiered at the Venice Festival. The film tells the story of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside her cousins, aunt, uncle and two paramedics who had rushed to help them after their car came under fire from Israeli forces in Gaza in January 2024. Following the attack, Hind’s 15-year-old cousin telephoned the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), informing them they had been shot at by a tank—gunfire and screams can be heard in the recording. Hind then takes the phone, being the only one still alive in the car, pleading to be saved. She says it’s getting dark and she’s frightened, saying, “Please, come get me.” Rescuers attempting to reach her come under attack, whilst she too doesn’t survive. The film uses the actual audio recording of the desperate child’s voice and her conversations with the rescuers.
The film, produced by prominent Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Brad Pitt and Alfonso Cuarón, received a 20-minute standing ovation. “When I heard the first time the voice of Hind, there was something more than her voice. It was the very voice of Gaza asking for help,” declared director Lina Soualem. “This film is not an opinion or a fantasy. It is anchored in truth. Hind’s story carries the weight of an entire people. Her voice is one amongst tens of thousands of children that were killed in Gaza in the last two years alone.”
None of this is mere spectacle. These are fragments that keep the light of humanity on.
The original article: belongs to in-cyprus.com .
