Film stars join protest against Gaza genocide at San Sebastian Festival
Demonstration coincides with screening of film on Hind Rajab, 5, killed in Israeli attack in Gaza
Director of the film festival, Jose Luis Rebordinos attends a protest calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza and a boycott of Israel after the screening of the film 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' in San Sebastian, Spain, on September 24, 2025.
MADRID
A large protest was held on Wednesday in San Sebastian against the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip during Spain’s most important cinema event, the International San Sebastian Film Festival.
The protest coincided with the screening of “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a film that tells the story of the 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza in an Israeli army attack.
Demonstrators carried banners that read: “Stop the genocide, cinema with Palestine” and “Urgent aid for Gaza.” The protest was organized under the heading: “In Memory of Hind Rajab and the Murdered Children.”
Among those taking part were Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun and several prominent actors and directors, including Pedro Almodovar, Javier Bardem, Antonio de la Torre, Maribel Verdu, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Alauda Ruiz de Azua, Alberto Iglesias, Alex de la Iglesia, Belen Rueda, Inma Cuesta, Itziar Ituno, Javier Camara, Javier Fresser, Jon Garano and José Coronado.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab,” screened as part of the festival’s 73rd edition, received a long-standing applause from the audience, many of whom were moved to tears.
Palestinian actors in the film, Motaz Malhees and Saja Kilani, walked the red carpet wearing a badge that read, “Stop the genocide” along with a pin of the Palestinian flag, before joining other filmmakers in the protest.
The Israeli army has killed more than 65,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.
