| Close Your Eyes Hind | |
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_film_poster.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Amir Zaza |
| Screenplay by | Amir Zaza |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tonko Bossen |
| Edited by | Amir Zaza |
| Music by | Rami Al Maghrbel |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 32 minutes[1] |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Arabic[1] |
| Budget | €500.000[2] |
Close Your Eyes Hind is a 2025 Dutchbiographicalwar dramashort film written, directed, edited and produced by Amir Zaza, based on theKilling of Hind Rajab. It stars Patel Akkad as Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by theIsrael Defense Forces during theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on 29 January 2024, which also killed six of her family members and two paramedics coming to her rescue. The film made its world premiere at a benefit screening at the Focus Filmtheater Arnhem in the Netherlands on 18 June 2025, and was broadcast on television byNPO 2 on 6 November 2025. It won theGolden Calf for Best Short Film at the2025 Netherlands Film Festival.
Close Your Eyes Hind was written, directed, edited and produced by Syrian-Dutch filmmaker Amir Zaza,[3][1] based on theKilling of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by theIsrael Defense Forces during theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on 29 January 2024, which also killed six of her family members and two paramedics coming to her rescue.[4] Zaza produced the film along with Abdul Rahman Abdulfattah and Mattar Productions,[1] in partnership withAl Jazeera's digital platform Al Jazeera 360.[5][1] Tonko Bossen was the director of photography, and the score was composed by Rami Al Maghrbel.[1] The film had the support of Rajab's mother.[6]
Zaza followed the news about Rajab's death, and the image of her smiling face and the wreath of flowers on her head (from a photo that circulated at the time) haunted him in his dreams.[7] 10 years prior to working on the film, Zaza had fled from Syria to the Netherlands to escapethe war.[7] He later studied at theNetherlands Film Academy and became a filmmaker. "I am not a military and not a politician. I'm a filmmaker. I had to do something from my position," Zaza said about his decision to makeClose Your Eyes Hind.[7] Zaza called his college friend, a cameraman, and said, "I'm making a movie about Gaza and we're going to work on it unpaid, are you going to join us?", and his friend agreed, along with three other people, although it was difficult to get funding for the film at the time because even the mention of the word "Gaza" was enough to stop a project and only Israel's side was heard.[7] Zaza then started working on the screenplay and collected all the articles about Rajab's death and studied them. He also contacted Rajab's mother and other members of her family, as well as the employee from thePalestine Red Crescent Society who spoke to Rajab on the phone and witnessed her last moments.[7]
For 10 months, Zaza gathered volunteers to work on the film. It started with 4 people and grew into a team of about 40 people; all willing to cooperate voluntarily.[7] Zaza was also allowed to use a professional studio in Amsterdam for free for the shooting.[7] However, Zaza still needed a lot of money for set decoration, costumes, visual effects and transport. He approached around 13 production companies with no success. Zaza then turned to organizations that stand up for Palestinian people.[7] Some time later, he received the first 2000 euros from one organization, followed by smaller contributions from other people, but that still was not enough. Zaza then decided to crowdfund the project. They needed around 17.000 euros to fund the film, but ended up raising 25.000 euros. Over 600 people contributed to the crowfunding,[8] mainly Dutch people, and some of them were of Arab origin.[7]
Zaza opted for fiction based on the true story of Hind Rajab rather than a documentary. Some scenes, such as the phone calls, were filmed exactly like they happened, but for other scenes, Zaza used his imagination.[7] Zaza said he wanted to make the viewer feel like they are sitting next to Rajab in the car, and sympathize with her thoughts and feelings. "Did she maybe dance or sing in the car before this tragedy? Was she hopeful? Scared? Was she crying? What did she think about death?", he explained.[7] Zaza said that Rajab symbolizes all the children in Gaza who have been killed by the Israeli army since October 2023. "Hind has become a symbol for all those children who called for help while the world looked away," Zaza said.[7]
The film's total production budget was €500.000.[2] Zaza said that half of the proceeds will go to Rajab's family, who are still in Gaza and want to leave but cannot afford to get out of there.[2]
Principal photography took place at ReadySet Studios in Amsterdam, the Netherlands[8] in December 2024.[7][9] The environment around the car was recreated in 3D.[2]
Close Your Eyes Hind made its world premiere at a benefit screening at the Focus Filmtheater Arnhem in Gelderland, the Netherlands on 18 June 2025.[10] It later premiered in competition at theNetherlands Film Festival on 28 September 2025,[7][11] and was made available online on the festival's website on 1 October 2025.[7] The film made its international premiere in competition at theEl Gouna Film Festival in Egypt on 20 October 2025.[1] It was broadcast on television for the first time by Dutch TV channelNPO 2 on 6 November 2025,[12] and the following day it was made available to watch online for free onNPO 3's website,[13] and also on NPO Start,[14] and on Al Jazeera 360.[15]
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands Film Festival | 3 October 2025 | Golden Calf for Best Short Film | Amir Zaza | Won | [16] |
| Golden Calf for Best Leading Performance in a Short Film | Patel Akkad | Nominated | [11] | ||
| El Gouna Film Festival | 24 October 2025 | Best Short Film | Amir Zaza | Nominated | [1] |
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