On Monday night, Berlin’s Adlon Hotel hosted the annual Cinema for Peace gala during the Berlin Film Festival, bringing together prominent figures including former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and actor Kevin Spacey. The event became a focal point of controversy when Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania used her acceptance speech to sharply criticize political support for violence in the ongoing Gaza conflict, marking a dramatic moment amid the celebrations.
The Cinema for Peace gala honors films and filmmakers that address significant social and political issues. This year, Ben Hania received the group’s Most Valuable Film prize for her documentary The Voice of Hind Rajab, which follows the Red Crescent’s efforts to rescue a young Palestinian girl killed during the 2024 invasion of Gaza. Hosted by Bob Geldof, the ceremony also paid tribute to Noam Tibon, an Israeli former general featured in the documentary The Road Between Us, which recounts his family’s rescue from Hamas after the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Kaouther Ben Hania Delivers a Stark Message on Violence and Accountability
Seizing the stage to accept her award, Ben Hania made it clear she viewed the recognition not as a celebration, but as a call to action. She condemned the reframing of mass civilian casualties as legitimate defense and criticized the silence surrounding the deaths of Palestinians during the Gaza conflict. The filmmaker insisted that peace without justice and accountability is hollow.
I feel responsibility more than gratitude,
Ben Hania emphasized, expressing the heavy burden she felt alongside the honor. She described the killing of Hind Rajab and the paramedics sent to save her as symptomatic of what she decried as genocide facilitated by the complicity of powerful governments and institutions worldwide.
What happened to Hind is not an exception. It’s a part of a genocide. And tonight, in Berlin, there are people who gave political cover to that genocide by reframing the mass civilian killing as self-defense, as complex circumstances. By denigrating those who protest,
she stated, making an explicit political indictment at the gala.
But as you may know, peace is not a perfume sprayed over violence, so power can feel refined, and can feel comfortable. And cinema is not image-laundering.
Ben Hania challenged the notion of superficial peace and underscored cinema’s role in confronting harsh realities rather than obscuring them.
She called for justice that includes legal and moral accountability.
Justice means accountability. Without accountability, there is no peace. 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,
she declared.
In a powerful finale, Ben Hania refused to take the award home, leaving it as a symbolic reminder of unfulfilled justice.
I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched. 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.
Host Bob Geldof Expresses Frustration Over Political Figures
Bob Geldof, who hosted the evening, also voiced sharp criticism of public figures he believed were obstructing progress on critical global issues. Directly addressing former U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance on climate change, Geldof did not hold back:
He’s a fucking idiot, and he should shut up,
Geldof said, adding an outspoken note to the evening’s charged atmosphere.
Context and Implications of the Evening’s Events
The Cinema for Peace gala, typically a platform for artistic celebration and awareness-raising, on this occasion reflected the deep divisions and tensions dominating international politics. The presence of influential guests including Hillary Clinton and Kevin Spacey added prominence to an event where the art world intersected with urgent political discourse.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s refusal to accept her award unless justice is pursued signals a continued demand for global scrutiny over actions in the Gaza conflict, highlighting the role of filmmakers as advocates for accountability. Meanwhile, Geldof’s blunt remarks reveal growing impatience with political leadership on climate and humanitarian crises.
As the gala concluded, the striking speeches underscored cinema’s power not only to document tragedies but also to challenge audiences and leaders to confront uncomfortable truths. The event’s outcome points to an ongoing struggle for justice and peace, emphasizing that recognition in art circles can also serve as a platform for urgent political activism.
