In an open letter, 81 film industry professionals issue sharp criticism of this year’s Berlinale. The letter, published in the trade magazine Variety, finds well-known actors and directors “astounded” by what they describe as a “participation in the censorship of artists who reject Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip” — and they accuse the German government of playing a “key role in enabling” this dynamic.
Among the signatories are film and television stars such as Tilda Swinton (65), Javier Bardem (56), Tobias Menzies (51), Tatiana Maslany (40), and Brian Cox (79), together with directors like Adam McKay (57) and Mike Leigh (82). The group calls for a clear position from the festival, arguing that just as Berlinale has previously demonstrated solidarity with people in Ukraine and in Iran, it must now fulfill its “moral duty.”
Kritik an Jurypräsident Wim Wenders
At the same time, the filmmakers voice their opposition to Wim Wenders (80), the festival’s jury president. During a February 12 press conference, journalist Tilo Jung asked the jurors where they stood on Berlinale’s and the German government’s stance toward Gaza. Wenders replied that one should “stay out of politics.” He argued that with politically charged films one “move into the realm of politics,” but that filmmakers themselves are “the counterweight to politics. We are the opposite of politics.” The open letter contends: “We strongly disagree with the Berlinale 2026 jury president Wim Wenders’ assertion that filmmaking is ‘the opposite of politics.’” One cannot simply separate one from the other.
As reported by international outlets such as Variety and Deadline, the livestream of Jung’s question at the conference was allegedly impeded by interruptions. In an official statement, the disruption was attributed to “technical problems.” Some observers wondered if censorship was at play. A YouTube recording, however, shows the passages in full. Jung notes that, in the end, there may not have been overt censorship, but he finds it “interesting” that the stream encountered supposed “technical problems” precisely as Palestine was being discussed.
“Free expression roared at the Berlinale”
Arundhati Roy (64), author of The God of Small Things, had already canceled her participation in the Berlinale. In a statement published in The Wire, she said she was stunned to hear jury members claim that “art should not be political.” Such a stance, she argued, is a way to block a conversation about a crime against humanity as it unfolds in real time. Roy contended that “artists, writers, and filmmakers must do everything in their power to stop it.”
At Berlinale, the call for free expression grew louder, commented Tricia Tuttle, the festival’s director, in a piece titled “On Speaking, Cinema, and Politics.” Free expression happens at film festivals, she wrote, but increasingly filmmakers are asked to answer every question put to them. They are criticized if they do not answer; they are criticized if they answer and their answer fails to please.
The filmmakers gathered at Berlinale share a deep-rooted respect for the dignity of every human being. They believe there is no one among them who is indifferent to what happens in the world, nor to the rights, lives, or immense suffering of people in Gaza and the West Bank, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Minneapolis, and in a distressingly long list of other places. Yet they argue that artists should not be expected to weigh in on every political issue that comes their way unless they choose to do so.
