CLOSE YOUR EYES HIND

( 2025 )

Short Film Competition |

Netherlands

Arabic |

32 min

About the film

After tank fire kills her relatives, 6-year-old Hind Rajab and her cousin stay behind in a destroyed car in Gaza surrounded by Israeli tanks. Hind calls the emergency services, but they can only come to their aid if the army allows them to.

Director

Amir Zaza

Amir Zaza is a Syrian-born producer, screenwriter, and director who relocated to the Netherlands after fleeing war. A 2022 graduate of the Netherlands Film Academy, his graduation film It Will Rain was a 2023 Student Academy Awards finalist. Driven by a deep commitment to social impact, Zaza crafts films that illuminate urgent societal issues with a rare blend of emotional depth and visual style.

Producer

Amir Zaza, Abdul Rahman Abdulfattah, Jamal Elshayyal- Executive Producer, Awad Joumaa – Executive Producer, Frederike Scheffer – Executive Producer, Al Jazeera 360 co-producer

Production Company

Screenplay

Amir Zaza

Cinematography

Tonko Bossen

Editing

Amir Zaza

Sound

Quincy Vlijtig

Cast

Patel Akkad, Sundus Al Bashash, Sara Alestwani

Contacts

International Sales: Mattar Productions, Netherlands, amiez1368@gmail.com

Producer

Amir Zaza, Abdul Rahman Abdulfattah, Jamal Elshayyal- Executive Producer, Awad Joumaa – Executive Producer, Frederike Scheffer – Executive Producer, Al Jazeera 360 co-producer

Production Company

Screenplay

Amir Zaza

Cinematography

Tonko Bossen

Editing

Amir Zaza

Sound

Quincy Vlijtig

Cast

Patel Akkad, Sundus Al Bashash, Sara Alestwani

Contacts

International Sales: Mattar Productions, Netherlands, amiez1368@gmail.com

More About Film

Close Your Eyes Hind is based on the true story of six-year-old Hind Rajab and her family’s desperate escape attempt amid the war in Gaza. Their flight is tragically cut short when an Israeli tank opens fire, leaving only Hind and her 14-year-old cousin to survive in the shattered car. Trapped and surrounded by tanks, the girls cling to life, comforting each other and imagining a distant future. They maintain contact with the Red Crescent, who promise a rescue mission once the military permits. This search for safety culminates in a tragedy that exposes the brutal reality of war.

Producer

Amir Zaza, Abdul Rahman Abdulfattah, Jamal Elshayyal- Executive Producer, Awad Joumaa - Executive Producer, Frederike Scheffer - Executive Producer, Al Jazeera 360 co-producer

Screenplay

Amir Zaza

Cinematography

Tonko Bossen

Editing

Amir Zaza

Sound

Quincy Vlijtig

Cast

Patel Akkad, Sundus Al Bashash, Sara Alestwani

Contact

International Sales: Mattar Productions, Netherlands, amiez1368@gmail.com

More About Film

Close Your Eyes Hind is based on the true story of six-year-old Hind Rajab and her family's desperate escape attempt amid the war in Gaza. Their flight is tragically cut short when an Israeli tank opens fire, leaving only Hind and her 14-year-old cousin to survive in the shattered car. Trapped and surrounded by tanks, the girls cling to life, comforting each other and imagining a distant future. They maintain contact with the Red Crescent, who promise a rescue mission once the military permits. This search for safety culminates in a tragedy that exposes the brutal reality of war.