India blocks release of Oscar-nominated Gaza film
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A giant sand portrait on a beach in Britain of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024 and the focus of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice Of Hind Rajab.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- India blocked the release of "The Voice Of Hind Rajab", a film about the killing of a Palestinian girl by Israeli forces, according to the distributor.
- The CBFC member said the film's release would "hamper India's relations with Israel," though the distributor was not officially notified.
- Shashi Tharoor called the ban "disgraceful," stating it limits freedom of expression and should not affect international relations.
AI generated
NEW DELHI - India has blocked the release of The Voice Of Hind Rajab, a film about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces, the movie’s distributor told AFP on March 21.
The Oscar-nominated docudrama by French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania recounts the real-life death of Hind Rajab in Gaza in 2025r as her family attempted to flee during Israel’s war with Hamas.
Mr Manoj Nandwana, of Jai Viratra Entertainment, the film’s Indian distributor, said a member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told him that the film’s theatrical release would “hamper India’s relations with Israel”.
“After screening it for the board it was clear to me that they would not clear it for release in India,” Mr Nandwana told AFP on March 21, adding that he was not officially notified of the denial.
“The film has been released all over the world including in Israel. Why is it bad or sensitive for Indians?” Mr Nandwana asked. “It’s strange.”
The film was, however, screened at an international film festival in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata in November 2025, Mr Nandwana said.
New Delhi has expanded ties with Israel in defence, agriculture, technology and cybersecurity while balancing diplomatic interests in the Middle East and historically supporting Palestinian statehood.
In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel for two days – his second trip since 2017 – just days before Israel and the United States began a campaign of airstrikes on Iran.
Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor from the opposition Congress party said blocking the film was “disgraceful”.
“In a democracy, screening a film is a reflection of our society’s freedom of expression and has nothing to do with government to government relations,” he said in a post on X.
“This practice of banning films or books because of the offence they might cause to foreign countries must stop immediately. It’s unworthy of a mature democracy.”
The Voice Of Hind Rajab was nominated for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars but lost to the Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value.
In 2025, the film won the Silver Lion grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival where it left audiences in tears at its premiere. AFP
