India blocks release of Oscar-nominated Gaza film

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 Saturday.

The Oscar-nominated docudrama by French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania recounts the real-life death of Hind Rajab in Gaza last year as her family attempted to flee during Israel’s war with Hamas.

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,” Nandwana told AFP on Saturday, 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?” Nandwana asked. “It’s strange.”

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The film was, however, screened at an international film festival in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata in November last year, 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.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel for two days – the first trip by an Indian premier in over two decades – 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”.

Last year, the film won the Silver Lion grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival where it left audiences in tears at its premiere.