Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania did not intend to deliver a quiet acceptance speech when she arrived at the Berlin event organized by the Cinema for Peace Foundation. Instead, the moment turned into a pointed confrontation with the political contradictions she felt were embedded within the ceremony itself. Her movie, The Voice of Hind Rajab, has garnered a lot of recognition during the ongoing awards season and is also nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
During the event, Ben Hania refused the award, leaving it on stage and declaring that “peace requires justice and accountability.” The gesture quickly circulated across the film world, raising questions about whether the industry had failed morally in responding to the war in Gaza and whether her act was a carefully planned protest or a spontaneous response to the moment.
WILLA
Ben Hania, however, resists framing the situation as a blanket failure of the global film community. In an exclusive interview with Parade Magazine, Ben Hania didn't shy away from talking about why that particular accolade didn't make sense to her.
“I think that artists in general—not all of them—are outraged by what is happening in Gaza,” she said. “And we see it shifting in public opinion, because there was a genocide. People can’t stay silent, and we hear more and more voices speaking out, you know. Even in places like Berlin, we see what has been happening.”
Her frustration, she explained, was directed less at filmmakers and more at the political environment surrounding the event itself. The ceremony, hosted by the Cinema for Peace organization, felt to her like a gathering where politics overshadowed the ideals the award claimed to represent.
“Cinema for Peace, for example, I felt that room was a very, very strange room,” Ben Hania said. “The place where they organized it—the organization is called the Foundation for Peace—you had very high-profile politicians coming, you know. So it’s not only about cinema; there is politics behind cinema.”
Berlinale symbol.Getty Images
During the conversation, the filmmaker acknowledged that cinema has always existed alongside politics, but she argued that the dynamics inside that room made the connection unusually explicit. “There is always politics behind cinema, but here it was real politics,” she continued. “You had a lot of officials and people who gave cover to this genocide with their power. And so I felt that I needed to talk to the power. I can’t just receive this award and be part of this hypocritical thing about peace, you know. So I needed to speak. Yeah, I needed to do this.”
Her remarks also come amid wider tensions that surfaced during the latest edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, commonly known as the Berlinale, where debates over political speech and artistic responsibility became unavoidable. Some voices within the industry suggested that filmmakers should not feel obligated to comment on global conflicts. She rejects the idea that such conversations can be separated from the environment in which the festival exists.
“I mean, I think we should think about the Berlinale—it’s a great festival,” she said. “And I know Tricia Tuttle personally; we were together as jury members at the Venice Film Festival before she became the director of the Berlinale. She’s an incredible, credible, smart moviegoer—a person who truly loves cinema.”
MOTAZ MALHEES IN THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (PHOTO CREDIT: WILLA)WILLA
But admiration for the festival’s leadership does not, in her view, change the broader political realities surrounding it.
“But we can’t speak about the festival as if it exists in another place, you know,” she added. “It’s in Germany. And in Germany, there is a law—it’s written in law—that they should stand with Israel, whatever Israel does, because of their history. So there is something very rotten, I could say, already in Germany that leads to censoring all Palestinian voices.”
For Ben Hania, the issue is not merely ideological disagreement but what she describes as a climate that stifles open artistic expression. Such an atmosphere, she argues, undermines the very foundations of a film festival meant to celebrate artistic freedom.
“You can’t ignore that,” Ben Hania said. “I mean, if they decide to fire Tricia, they will kill the festival. And in a way, they are already killing it, because of all those restrictions and all this fear. There is an atmosphere of censorship and fear. You can’t have a respectable film festival in an atmosphere of blackmail, fear, and the silencing of artists. And I think it was very significant what happened at the Berlinale this year,” Ben Hania said.
Related: Oscar 2026 Predictions: Who Will Win and Who Could Pull Off an Upset?
Hence then, the article about oscar nominated filmmaker kaouther ben hania explains why she refused cinema for peace award in berlin was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania Explains Why She Refused Cinema For Peace Award in Berlin )
Also on site :
- Salt Typhoon is hacking the world’s phone and internet giants. Here’s everywhere that’s been hit.
- Carney confirms: When Washington whistles, Ottawa salutes
- Family of tragic Staffordshire youngster killed in crash on Lichfield A-road pay tribute to their 'beautiful young boy'