Let's Give A Damn — Saja Kilani: The Voice of Hind Rajab, Keep Telling Stories, and Hope Is Everything
Podcast Host: Nick Laparra
Guest: Saja Kilani (Jordanian-Palestinian-Canadian actress, poet)
Date: January 28, 2026

Main Theme

This episode centers on the story and impact of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab, with actress and spoken word poet Saja Kilani. The conversation delves into the process of telling Hind’s story, the ethical importance of bearing witness, the role of artists during times of violence and oppression, and why hope and storytelling are essential tools for collective liberation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Context: A Time of Violence and the Importance of Hope

• Nick sets the scene with a blunt overview of recent US and international atrocities—state-sanctioned violence by ICE, the killing of protestors and healthcare workers, and ongoing brutality in Gaza.

• He quotes James Baldwin:

  “You can't tell the children there's no hope.” (04:19, Nick Laparra & referenced James Baldwin)

• Nick’s conclusion:

  “Be angry–get really fucking angry, but don’t lose hope. We cannot lose hope. Continue to build community, continue to organize, continue to take care of each other. … For the kids, for each other, for collective liberation—we cannot lose hope.” (04:25, Nick Laparra)

2. Introduction to Saja Kilani and the Film

• Saja is introduced as an actress and poet, recognized for her award-winning performance in The Voice of Hind Rajab. (04:42–07:32)
• The film tells the story (using real and dramatized audio) of five-year-old Hind Rajab, who called for help after her family was killed in Gaza.

  “The film is part dramatized and part real audio from Hind and from the Red Crescent volunteers that day. It’s a very difficult film to watch, but we must show up to witness. And after we witness, we must tell others what we’ve experienced.” (06:16, Nick Laparra)

3. Bearing Witness: Art as Resistance

• Both Nick and Saja stress the vital responsibility for privileged audiences to bear witness and to “show up” for stories of injustice—no matter how hard they are to watch.

• Saja:

  “We’re just talking about it versus, you know, they’re living it… It’s the least we can do is offer our eyes and hopefully allow that to affect the heart.” (13:38, Saja Kilani)

• On emotional toll vs. artistic duty:

  “I am willing to travel to the ends of the world to keep talking about this. I know it’s not an easy topic… But those small encounters all play into this big picture.” (13:23, Saja Kilani)

4. Saja’s Story: Identity and the Power of Art

• Saja shares her Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian roots and her journey from theater to spoken word and film.

  "I speak in English, but I dream in Arabic. … The more honest you are with your work, the more people relate to it." (see poetry section below for full quote)

• She details how her involvement in The Voice of Hind Rajab began—with the director taking a chance on her without much acting footage.

  “Not a lot of directors are willing to take such risks with actors that aren’t known … I was—obviously it was double the pressure… but because of what the film also entails, it tied a lot to my spoken word poetry and all the things that I write about.” (20:19, Saja Kilani)

5. Creating the Film: Honoring Hind and the Red Crescent

• Saja describes reaching out to Rena (the Red Crescent worker she plays) and the ethical responsibility in sharing such a traumatic event.

  “I was a bit nervous about opening a wound that she might have spent months trying to heal. But as unfortunate as it sounds, Hind is just one case of many…” (28:06, Saja Kilani)

• Rena’s guidance to her:

  “I don’t want you to copy me. I want you to just listen to her voice and let that guide you.” (30:34, Saja Kilani)

• On set, the environment was intentionally supportive:

  “There was so much love on set that there was no way for you to not show up.” (31:51, Saja Kilani)

6. The Power of a Single Scene: Praying with Hind

• The most memorable scene for many is when Rena prays with Hind over the phone. Saja recalls a spiritual, out-of-body experience during filming:

  “I felt like I had been transported to her… I was just genuinely with her having this moment of security and peace… I even forgot that she’s Hind Rajab that was killed. I was in that moment speaking to a child who has lost hope.” (35:19–37:19, Saja Kilani)

• On the resonance of religion when practiced in solidarity:

  “Religion, when obviously practiced properly, should make you feel… that sense of security.” (38:59, Saja Kilani)

7. The Ethics and Artistry of Filming

• Filming in one set allowed for chronological shooting—deepening the emotional authenticity:

  “Because it was shot in one location, we were able to shoot it chronologically. … As someone who comes from a theater background, that was a gift for us…” (42:02, Saja Kilani)

• All dialogue responding to Hind is taken verbatim from real tape.

• The mix of technical precision and lived emotion was possible due to cast and director’s care.

8. Legacy and the Necessity of Storytelling

• Saja shares the importance, per Hind’s mother, of making sure her daughter’s name and story are not lost in the sea of tragedies.

  "Her mother ... was encouraging [the film]—her daughter would have just been lost in the number." (45:15, Saja Kilani)

• Nick emphasizes:

  “Tens and thousands of other children… yelled for help in the same exact way… and it never came. … We have to [tell these stories], not for just Hind, but for the hundreds of thousands of others.” (46:23, Nick Laparra)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hope (James Baldwin, via Nick Laparra):

  “Be angry. Get really fucking angry, but don’t lose hope. You cannot lose hope. … For the kids, for each other, for collective liberation—we cannot lose hope.” (04:25, Nick Laparra)

• On the Burden and Duty of Witnessing:

  “We’re just talking about it versus they’re living it… It’s the least we can do is offer our eyes and hopefully allow that to affect the heart.” (13:38, Saja Kilani)

• On the Praying Scene:

  “That was the moment where I wasn’t even apprehensive to the fact that I’m filming. I was just genuinely with her… when I was reading it and hearing it recited back in a child’s voice … it was like this delusional feeling where you feel like you’re not in your body.” (35:19–37:19, Saja Kilani)

• On Art’s Political Power:

  “The power of cinema is not only to … tell the truth, but to safeguard it… to give a space where it feels safe enough to express itself…” (53:59, Saja Kilani)

• On the Collective Responsibility of Storytelling:

  “Don’t underestimate those small gestures of even going to watch this film, spreading it, telling your friends to go see this film… This is our collective responsibility.” (57:37, Saja Kilani)

Saja’s Poetry Performance

At request, Saja shares her piece “Inti mean (Who are you?)” (48:37):

“I am a woman of Arab descent.
I speak in English, but I dream in Arabic.
And what a scene I paint with my accent.
My skin is flawed with history.
My blood flows like my destiny.
I believe in what’s written for me.
You believe lies tied to my identity.
How unlucky for you.
But what can I do?
Pacify the situation, hide behind good vocab and high level education.
Tiptoe till my tippy toes tap out one day so you don’t feel insulted by who I am and what I say...
I’ll tell you this. Thank you.” (49:54, Saja Kilani)

The Role of Artists in Dark Times (52:46–59:03)

• Saja:

  “Hope is contagious … and if you truly believe in it, it’s unbeatable. My duty as an artist is to not only talk about hope, but practice it with my art. … The power of cinema—independent films, films in all different kinds of languages—have the power to change the narrative.”

• She frames The Voice of Hind Rajab as more courageous than victimized, honoring Hind’s strength and the need to keep that hope and courage alive:

  “I don’t see it as a victimized kind of story… I find that she is so strong. That courage she has is contagious… I think we owe it to her to keep that hope and courage alive.” (57:37, Saja Kilani)

• Nick closes the theme:

  “The collective us—it’s really fucking scary for those in charge when we get hopeful, when we get courageous, because they’re counting on us just feeling defeated.” (59:03, Nick Laparra)

Call to Action & Film Accessibility

• Saja encourages everyone to see the film in theaters, to spread the word, and to engage in discussion—even via her social media, which she tries to keep open for conversations about the film. (61:23)

• The film is screening across the US and elsewhere, with streaming not yet confirmed:

  “These small steps of just attending the screening… then seeing how that affects you and whatever that inspires you to do after, I encourage that.” (61:41, Saja Kilani)

• Nick:

  “Support Palestinian artists. Support Palestinian filmmakers, Palestinian musicians. Support the art that is being made through insurmountable levels of grief and pain and suffering.” (62:58, Nick Laparra)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|------------------| | Podcast open & Context | 00:00–04:42 | | Introduction to Saja & The Film | 04:42–07:32 | | Saja on Art, Travel, Mission | 13:20–16:11 | | Saja’s Background, Identity | 17:52–22:46 | | Taking Risks, Booking the Film | 22:46–27:50 | | On Bearing Witness, Talking to Rena | 27:50–32:12 | | On the Praying Scene | 35:19–39:19 | | Artistic Process & One-Room Filming | 42:02–44:17 | | Saja’s Poetry Performance | 48:09–49:54 | | The Role of Artists & Hope | 52:46–59:03 | | How to Support the Film | 61:23–62:58 |

Tone

The episode is raw, urgent, and hopeful. Both Nick and Saja are passionate and at times emotional, drawing on personal pain, solidarity, and a deep sense of obligation to collective liberation. The language is direct and at times explicit, mirroring the gravity of the stories discussed. The tone is ultimately uplifting—a call to action to witness, to feel, to create, and to hope.

Summary Takeaway

This conversation is both a powerful tribute to the life of Hind Rajab and a reflection on the importance of art in the fight against erasure and despair. Saja Kilani, through her film work and spoken word, models how witnessing and storytelling are acts of love, resistance, and hope—tools that can help keep memory alive and inspire meaningful action. If you care about justice, collective memory, and the freedom of oppressed peoples, this is an episode not to be missed.