Tunisian director leaves Berlin award on stage in protest over Gaza war

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania declined to accept an award at the Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin this week, saying she did not want her film to be used as a backdrop for "empty talk of peace" while killings in Gaza continue without accountability.

Ben Hania was named winner of the Most Valuable Film prize for The Voice of Hind Rajab at the Cinema for Peace event, held on Monday at Berlin's Hotel Adlon.

The gala takes place annually in Berlin during the same period as the Berlin International Film Festival, but it is a separate event and not part of the Berlinale's official programme.

In remarks at the ceremony, Ben Hania said she felt "responsibility more than gratitude", adding that the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who died in Gaza in January 2024 after being trapped in a car during Israeli fire, was not an isolated incident but part of a wider pattern of civilian deaths during the war.

Ben Hania left the trophy behind rather than taking it home, arguing that peace should be treated as a legal and moral obligation rooted in accountability, not as a slogan that allows powerful actors to feel comfortable.

She said she would only accept the award in the future if peace was pursued on that basis.

"I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched," Ben Hania said.

"So tonight, I will not take this award home. I leave it here as a reminder. And when peace is pursued as a legal and moral obligation, rooted in accountability for genocide, then I will come back and accept it with joy."

Ben Hania added that Hind's killing was "not an exception, it's part of a genocide", criticising political actors who reframe mass civilian killings as "self-defence" or "complex circumstances" while discrediting protesters.

"Peace requires justice and accountability, not glossy slogans," she said.

At the same gala, retired Israeli Major General Noam Tibon was also honoured in connection with the Canadian documentary The Road Between Us, which focuses on his actions during the 7 October 2023 attacks.

The Voice of Hind Rajab follows the tragic killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in January 2024, centring on a harrowing three-hour phone call between the child and dispatchers at the Palestine Red Crescent Society as she remained trapped inside a car riddled with more than 300 Israeli bullets.

The killing sparked international condemnation after it was discovered that Israel tried to publicly deny her death, as well as the killing being unjust.

Over 80 alumni sign open letter

More than 80 actors, directors and other artists who have taken part in the Berlin Film Festival, including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter to the organisers published on Tuesday calling for them to take a clear stance on Israel's war in Gaza.

"We call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel's genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians," said the open letter, which was published in full in entertainment industry magazine Variety.

"We are appalled by Berlinale's institutional silence," said the letter, which was also signed by actors Adam McKay, Alia Shawkat, Brian Cox, and director Mike Leigh.

It said organisers had not met demands to issue a statement affirming Palestinians' right to life and committing to uphold the freedom of artists to speak out on the issue.

"This is the least it can - and should - do," the letter said.

The festival did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

This comes after award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy pulled out of the festival over jury president Wim Wenders's comments that cinema should "stay out of politics" when asked about Gaza.

The Berlin Film Festival, known for showing cinema from underrepresented communities and young talent, has repeatedly faced criticism by pro-Palestinian activists for not taking a clear stance on Gaza, as it had done with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and championing dissident Iranian filmmakers.

Editor's note: This article has been updated on 20 February to clarify that Kaouther Ben Hania declined an award at the Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin, which is a separate event and not part of the Berlin International Film Festival. An earlier version incorrectly stated that the award was presented at the Berlinale.