Kaouther Ben Hania on Funding Paradoxes and Political Cinema

At SXSW London, Oscar-nominated Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, known for The Voice of Hind Rajab, addressed a funding paradox facing filmmakers from the Global South. She argued that “every movie is political”, whether it intends to be or not, and criticized the Western film industry’s “thirst” for trauma narratives from the Global South.

Ben Hania explained that while international funds often seek stories of suffering and conflict, they simultaneously impose restrictive conditions. She noted that this creates a double bind: filmmakers must either cater to Western expectations of victimhood or struggle to secure financing for other stories. She emphasized that this dynamic commodifies pain and reduces complex societies to single, tragic narratives.

Key points from her talk include:

  • Funding hypocrisy: Western institutions demand “authentic” trauma but avoid supporting films that challenge their own political or economic interests.
  • Political inevitability: Even a seemingly apolitical film, she argued, carries a political stance by what it chooses to show or omit.
  • Resistance through craft: Ben Hania advocates for using cinematic form itself to subvert these expectations, making films that are both personal and political without being exploitative.

Ultimately, she called for a more equitable global film ecosystem where stories from the Global South are not only funded when they depict suffering, but also when they explore joy, complexity, and resistance on their own terms.

Source: Holly Wood Reporter – Kaouther Ben Hania on Funding Paradoxes and How “Every Movie Is Political”