Ahed's Knee is about "a country that should have been different, that could have been different," its director said.
ADVERTISEMENTAn Israeli film that openly criticises the policies of the Israeli government towards the Palestinians has won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Spike Lee and his jury called Ahed's Knee - which follows a director making a movie about Ahed Tamimi, a young Palestinian activist who went viral for slapping an Israeli soldier - "courageous".
Nadav Lapid, the director, told Euronews after the award ceremony that it was "a film full of pain and sadness about a country that should have been different, that could have been different."
"But [one that is] sinking and plunging more and more into these perversions. And also in that sense about myself, who is so Israeli, and who is also affected by all these diseases and perversions."
Lapid says the film is loosely based on his experience and growing pressure to avoid controversial topics.
"We have to reshuffle all the cards," Lapid said, "and a film that's recognised as the best can be a model for young filmmakers, who can say "I am cinema, I am also cinema, I am not something small, narrow, I am cinema", and that's why a prize in this huge festival is magnificent."
Ahed's Knee has just been released in Israel and has stirred controversy.
The film is a co-production between Israel, France, and Germany and is due to be released in September in Europe.