Dozens of filmmakers have accused the Berlinale of failing to position itself in the Gaza war.
02/18/2026, 05:0802/18/2026, 05:08
Artists such as actress Tilda Swinton (“The Room Next Door”) published an open letter. The approximately 80 signatories also include the photo artist Nan Goldin and actor Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”).
The Berlinale runs until February 22nd.Image: keystone
They are horrified by the Berlinale’s “institutional silence on the genocide of the Palestinians,” says the letter, which was published by the trade journal Variety. However, the festival took a clear position on atrocities in Iran and Ukraine.
Israel denies committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. That is also the position of the federal government. A genocide lawsuit brought by South Africa against Israel is pending before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. It is unknown when the court might make a ruling.
Since the start of the International Film Festival in Berlin, politics has been discussed several times, for example in relation to the Middle East conflict. Jury president Wim Wenders emphasized at a press conference that filmmakers are a counterbalance to politics. The Indian writer Arundhati Roy criticized this and canceled her participation, and Wenders’ statement was also criticized in the open letter that has now been published.
Tuttle: Deep-rooted respect for human dignity
Berlinale boss Tricia Tuttle stood behind the head of the jury and the festival’s artists at the weekend. She emphasized in a statement that freedom of expression takes place at the festival and that many filmmakers at the Berlinale have a deep-rooted respect for the dignity of every human being.
“We do not believe that there is anyone among the filmmakers represented here who would be indifferent to what is happening in this world – anyone who would not take seriously the rights, the lives or the immense suffering of the people in Gaza and the West Bank, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Iran, Ukraine, Minneapolis and a frightening number of other places,” Tuttle wrote.
The Middle East conflict has also occupied the Berlinale, which is considered a political film festival, in recent years. For example, after the final gala in 2024, she was criticized for the fact that individual award winners had massively criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip without mentioning the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas in October 2023. A debate followed, including allegations of anti-Semitism. (sda/dpa)