Berlin: The director of The Voice of Hind Rajab declined to accept an award at a Berlin event this week after an Israeli general was recognized at the same gathering. Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania chose not to receive the ‘Most Valuable Film’ award at the ‘Cinema for Peace’ gathering Monday which took place alongside the festival and left the trophy behind.
According to Anadolu Agency, in her remarks, Ben Hania expressed a sense of responsibility rather than gratitude, using the moment to make a statement about justice and accountability for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza in 2024. Rescuers attempting to reach her were also fired upon. “Justice means accountability. Without accountability, there is no peace,” she stated.
Ben Hania emphasized the severity of Hind’s death and the broader implications. “The Israeli army killed Hind Rajab; killed her family; killed the two paramedics who came to save her, with the complicity of the world’s most powerful governments and institutions. I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched,” she said. The director left the award as a reminder, promising to only accept it when peace is pursued as a legal and moral obligation rooted in accountability.
She further highlighted that Hind’s death was not an isolated incident but rather a part of a genocide, condemning political figures who frame large-scale civilian killings as ‘self-defense’ or ‘complex circumstances’. “Peace requires justice and accountability, not glossy slogans,” she asserted.
The Voice of Hind Rajab is based on the true story of Hind Rajab, who was trapped in her family car on Jan. 29, 2024, after it came under Israeli army fire in Gaza City. Hind was found dead after nearly two weeks of uncertainty. She was traveling with her family, including her 15-year-old cousin Layan Hamadeh, fleeing fighting in northern Gaza when they were attacked, according to the Palestine Red Crescent.
The film focuses on the audio recording of Hind’s final phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, during which she pleaded for help. The incident sparked global criticism following reports of Israel initially attempting to deny her death, accompanied by claims of the killing’s unjust nature.