Oscar hopefuls spotlight the human stories of Palestinians

Amid a Gaza war marked by vast Palestinian losses, three Oscar‑nominated films spotlight human stories often eclipsed by the devastation Israel unleashed in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

The filmmakers aim to recover individual stories behind the more than 72,000 Palestinians said by Gaza health authorities to have been killed along with many still uncounted beneath buildings Israel destroyed during 28 months of war.

Israel disputes the figures. A senior Israeli military officer recently told local media the numbers were “broadly accurate,” a comment the army later said did not reflect official data. The U.N. has long deemed the figures reliable.

‘THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB’: A CHILD’S STORY

Tunisian writer‑director Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” nominated for best international feature film, centers on a six‑year‑old girl trapped in a car in Gaza as Israeli tank fire surrounds her. The film incorporates real audio from Rajab’s call to Red Crescent emergency workers.

“Palestinian voices are not heard, especially in the West,” Ben Hania told Reuters. “They are always depicted … either as victim or maybe as terrorist, but often as numbers, not single stories.”

“When you watch ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ you are with those first aid workers who want to save this little girl, and you understand their struggle,” she said. “You understand their humanity … and this is very important for us as human beings — to connect and understand each other and not see the other as lesser or as not human.”

‘CHILDREN NO MORE’: ISRAELIS BEARING WITNESS

“Children No More: Were and Are Gone,” nominated for best documentary short, shows Israeli citizens holding silent vigils with photos of Palestinian children killed in the conflict.

Executive producer Libby Lenkinski, an Israeli American activist, said: “The way that our region of Israel‑Palestine is portrayed in the world is very flat. There’s a sense that there’s an ‘us’ and ‘them’ — that we don’t believe is true.”

“What ‘Children No More’ shows that media, traditional media, can’t show, is the depth of commitment of some Israelis to speaking up against the violence that our own government is responsible for and the children who are being killed as a result of this war.”

‘BUTCHER’S STAIN’: CONFRONTING SUSPICION AT HOME

“Butcher’s Stain” explores the daily tensions faced by Arab citizens of Israel.

Written and directed by Meyer Levinson‑Blount, who was born in the U.S. and now resides in Israel, the film follows Samir – a butcher and the only Arab working in an Israeli supermarket – falsely accused of tearing down posters in an employee common room of hostages held in Gaza.

Already a student Academy Award winner in 2025, the film is competing in the live‑action short film category.

While Levinson‑Blount is clear‑eyed about cinema’s limits, he stresses its power to provoke public engagement. The film explores discrimination and the fractures in Israeli society where 21% of the population is Arab.

“I don’t believe that cinema alone can change the world, but it catalyzes vital conversations. I think we need to be out there voting and protesting when we need to, and this is a film that sparks dialogue to fuel that change,” he said.