Tunisian filmmaker declines ‘Most Valuable Film’ prize in protest of Gaza genocide

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania has refused to accept an award for her film The Voice of Hind Rajab at an event in Berlin, accusing festival organizers of providing “political cover” for the genocide in Gaza by “smearing those who protest.”

At the Cinema for Peace gala, Ben Hania declined the “Most Valuable Film” award for her project, asserting that the death of the six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli military was not an isolated incident but rather a component of a systematic genocide.

“Peace is not a perfume sprayed over violence so that those in power can feel refined and comfortable. What happened to Hind is not an exception. It is part of a genocide. And tonight, in Berlin, there are people providing political cover for this genocide by reframing the mass slaughter of civilians as self-defense, as complex circumstances, and by smearing those who protest. Cinema is not image-washing. If we are talking about peace, we must also talk about justice. I will not allow their deaths to be the backdrop of a polite conversation about peace—not while the structures that caused their deaths remain untouched. Therefore, I will not be taking this award home tonight. I will leave it here as a memorial. When peace is recognized as a legal and moral obligation based on the principle of accountability for genocide, I will return and accept this award with joy.”

More than 80 actors, directors, and other film industry professionals attending the Berlin International Film Festival, including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter published Tuesday calling on organizers to take a clear stand against Israel’s war in Gaza.

“We demand that the Berlinale fulfill its moral duty and take an explicit stance against the genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians,” the open letter stated.

Hind Rajab was a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed along with her family in January 2024 following an attack by Israeli occupation forces.

During the occupation of Columbia University, American students renamed Hamilton Hall to “Hind’s Hall” in her memory.