Bearing Witness | TFS Grad Saja Kilani’s Oscar-Nominated Film Gives Voice to Hind Rajab

Less than four years after graduating from Toronto Film School’s Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre program, Saja Kilani is now starring in one of the most “devastating” and “vital” critically acclaimed films of the year.

The Voice of Hind Rajab – which has swept the major international film award categories with nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTA Film Awards – tells the harrowing true story of a five-year-old girl trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, desperately pleading for rescue over an emergency call.

Kilani, a Jordanian-Palestinian-Canadian actress and poet, portrays Rana Faqih – the real-life Palestine Red Crescent Society volunteer who stayed on the line with Hind during her final hours – in the Kaouther Ben Hania-directed film.

It’s a role Kilani vowed to carry as a “badge of honour” – one that required not only her craft, but her courage to amplify a story she felt the world needed to hear.

“Portraying Rana was about getting to know her on a personal level,” Kilani told TFS. “She shared her story from her own perspective and, without trying to, showed me her courage. My role was to listen deeply and let that truth guide the performance.”

In bringing Faqih’s experience to screen, the Class of 2022 alumna is doing what the best storytellers do: bearing witness, honouring the lost, and ensuring that Hind Rajab’s name will not be forgotten.

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And now, thanks to the film’s critical acclaim, she’ll be doing just that in front of a global audience on Hollywood’s biggest night – the Oscars ceremony on March 15.

“This kind of recognition helps open the door for the film to travel beyond our region and reach audiences who might not otherwise encounter Hind’s story,” Kilani said.

In announcing The Voice of Hind Rajab’s Academy Award nomination on Instagram, Kilani dedicated the film’s nod to Hind, to her mother Wesam, to the Red Crescent heroes who tried to save her life, and to all other lives that, like Hind’s, are lived under occupation.

“To hear (Hind’s) name on cinema’s biggest stage is more than recognition, it’s a way to place this story in as many hands and eyes as possible,” she wrote.

“This is far from the end. Stories they try to erase are the ones we fight to keep alive. Thank you to the Academy for seeing that cinema offers truth a safe space, even when the world outside does not.”

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A Through-Line of Advocacy

For Kilani, this commitment to bearing witness isn’t new – it’s a through-line that connects every chapter of her artistic journey.

Even as a student at TFS, her dedication to meaningful storytelling was evident. At the 2023 TFS Film Festival, she took home the Pinnacle Award for Best Female Performance for her starring turn in What’s Your Emergency? – a 10-minute short about a woman attempting to flee an abusive husband, which she also wrote and directed.

In her acceptance speech, the Toronto-based actress, director, writer and model quoted Palestinian spoken word artist Rafeef Ziadah before thanking her parents, siblings and crew.

“Allow me to speak my mother tongue before they occupy my language, as well,” she recited from Ziadah’s Shades of Anger.

“To me, film is far more than entertaining – it’s educational and I hope to see more Arabs sitting in this room and filling these stages. Thank you to TFS, thank you to Hart (Massey). This is for all actors – keep creating films.”

Just months later, in 2023, Kilani was named to the Canadian Arab Institute’s Top 30 Under 30 list for her significant impact on the Arab-Canadian community through her work as an actress, writer, and filmmaker.

The Institute praised her efforts to use her artistic talents to shed light on neglected stories – from her debut play Tales of a City by the Sea, which portrayed Palestinians under occupation, to her spoken word poetry like This Is Palestine, to her silent short Knockdown, which addressed Indigenous displacement.

“Through her creative endeavours, Saja aims to shift narratives, empower others, and create a tangible impact in the Arab/Canadian community,” the CAI noted. “As an artist of Palestinian heritage, Saja is profoundly committed to elevating voices like hers and shifting the narrative to reflect the truth.”

The CAI recognition was one Kilani – who also holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Toronto – characterized as a “great honour” and a “constant reminder” of her dedication to advocating for Arab representation in all her artistic endeavors.

“My work is an extension of where I come from,” she told TFS at the time.

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When asked about the relationship between her art and her advocacy, Kilani’s answer is simple and powerful: “For me, art is advocacy. Whether through theatre, poetry, or film, my work is about reclaiming the narrative and insisting on humanity. I believe creation is how we keep people alive.”

Looking back at her time at Toronto Film School, Kilani credits the program with teaching her “how to adapt to changing environments, especially moving between online and in-person work.”

“It was also where I consistently wrote poetry alongside my training, letting it exist as a parallel practice to scripts and scenes,” she added.

That parallel practice – the interweaving of poetry, performance, and purpose – has become the foundation of Kilani’s career. From a TFS classroom to the world’s most prestigious stage, she remains committed to amplifying voices that deserve to be heard.

“Seeing Hind’s story recognised on this level is deeply moving,” she said of The Voice of Hind Rajab’s Oscar nomination. “It feels like a breaking of silence.”

The Voice of Hind Rajab is currently screening at select theatres in the GTA. Click HERE for showtimes and locations, and HERE to watch the trailer.