Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania refused a German award for her film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” during a Cinema for Peace gala in Berlin on February 18, 2026, according to reports. The event, held alongside the Berlin International Film Festival, was attended by prominent figures including Hillary Clinton and actor Kevin Spacey.
Ben Hania stated that she felt “not gratitude, but responsibility” upon taking the stage, as reported by Asharq. She argued that the story of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child whose final moments are documented in the film, is not an isolated incident, but “the product of a system that made her killing possible.” She described the event as part of “a genocide.”
“Peace cannot be turned into a formal discourse covering up reality,” Ben Hania emphasized. “Peace is not a perfume sprayed on violence to make it look polite and acceptable,” and “cinema is not a tool for washing images or improving narratives.” She insisted that any discussion of peace must be linked to justice, and that “without accountability, there is no peace.”
The refusal comes after Cinema for Peace honored retired Israeli General Noam Tibon, who participated in a Canadian documentary about rescuing his family during the October 7th events, according to Sharika Walaken. This decision prompted Ben Hania’s protest.
Ben Hania also refused the “Most Valuable Film” award at the Cinema for Peace event, stating she “feels more responsibility than gratitude,” as Egyptke.com reported. She connected the artistic recognition to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, asserting that some parties have provided political cover for collective crimes and redefined the killing of civilians as self-defense.
“I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite discourse on peace as long as the structures that enabled these crimes remain in place,” she said. “I will not take this award home; I will leave it here as a reminder. When peace is pursued as a legal and moral duty based on accountability for genocide, I will return and accept it with joy.”
Ben Hania and the team behind “The Voice of Hind Rajab” recently garnered attention at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, as reported by Majalla Sidti. The film’s powerful depiction of the conflict continues to spark conversation and raise awareness on the international stage, adding to a growing number of films addressing complex geopolitical issues.
The director’s decision to decline the award, as highlighted by Akhbar Al Ghad, is a strong statement of solidarity with Palestine and a call for accountability.
