Police are investigating after a Hong Kong filmmaker used a controversial, pro-Palestinian slogan during a Berlinale speech.
An investigation has been launched against Jun Li, director of 'Queerpanorama'Image: Ronny Heine/Berlinale
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The State Security Police of the Federal Criminal Police Office, which is responsible for political crimes, is investigating an incident that took place during the Berlin International Film Festival.
At the premiere of the film "Queerpanorama," which is not part of the main competition, Hong Kong director Jun Li read on stage a speech by Iranian actor Erfan Shekarriz, who stars in his film. The speech criticized the German government and its cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, for backing the "apartheid, genocide and the brutal extermination of the Palestinian people."
The speech also included the controversial slogan, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and therefore includes Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Many activists for Palestinian rights describe it as a call for peace and equality after decades, in which millions of Palestinians have lived under Israeli occupation. Critics of this slogan see it as a call to dismantle Israel and remove or exterminate the Jewish population from the land, which is why German courts have on different occasions charged people who have used it with incitement to hatred.
This is specifically the case since the German Interior Ministry has added the slogan to a list of forbidden signs and slogans, calling it "a trademark" of Hamas. Some courts in Germany though have objected to this interpretation of the slogan as a call for violence against Jews and against the state of Israel. It remains up to every court to decide in specific cases whether the slogan is punishable or not.
Critics of the Ministry of the Interior's interpretation of the slogan also point out that other variants of the slogan such as, "From the river to the sea — the Israeli flag is all you'll see" are not criminalized in Germany even though they can be seen as denying Palestinians the right to self-determination.
Last year, criticism of Israel's policies during the awards' ceremony — in particular by the Israeli and Palestinian directors of the documentary "No Other Land" — led to accusations of antisemitism and calls by German politicians to better manage such potential crises in the future.
US-born film curator Tricia Tuttle, who officially took over the directorship of the festival in April 2024, inherited the challenging task of finding a way to clearly communicate Germany's laws on hate speech, all while allowing artists to express themselves freely.
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New guidelines on 'dialogue and exchange'
The ceremony's political backlash led the festival to develop clear guidelines on the matter.
The recommendations published on the Berlinale's website emphasize that the festival remains committed to protecting free speech, pointing out that Germany's freedom of expression laws are "very far-reaching" and that they "end only where they infringe on the rights of others, become discriminatory, or violate public order and safety."
The "Questions & Answers for a Respectful and Open Dialogue During the Berlinale" also dispel the rumor that the Berlinale prohibits participants from wearing clothes or symbols showing solidarity with Palestinians — such as the keffiyeh or a watermelon pin. Symbols that are generally prohibited by German law, such as the swastika, are obviously forbidden at the festival.
The last section in the guidelines specifically addresses the use of the phrase "From the river to the sea:" It "requires particular care, and there have been cases where it has been prosecuted in the state of Berlin," states the website, adding that, "more generally, some language may have additional cultural significance in Germany because of the Holocaust and the country's culture of remembrance and reconciliation. This is not to say that we avoid dialogue on these issues, but greater sensitivity in language can lead to more meaningful understanding."
Reacting to the speech at the "Queerpanorama" premiere, Tuttle said that the Berlinale deeply regretted the incident: "We had informed our guests ahead of the festival about the political statements that are particularly sensitive and that are potentially punishable," said Tuttle, who also pointed out that the screening's hosts directly criticized the use of the slogan during the event. There had been no immediate reaction to controversial speeches at the 2024 awards ceremony.
Tilda Swinton makes waves without naming anyone
Last year's backlash led the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel — part of the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement — to call for the boycott of the 2025 Berlinale. BDS has been condemned as antisemitic by the German parliament in multiple resolutions.
Tilda Swinton, who has been a longtime advocate for Palestinians, was asked to comment on why she nevertheless agreed to participate in the festival, where she accepted the Honorary Golden Bear award.
"I'm a great admirer of and have a great deal of respect for BDS and I think about it a lot," said the actor at a press conference. "I am here today — and yesterday and tomorrow and the next day — because I decided to come, I decided it was more important for me to come. I was given, thanks to the festival, a platform which I decided in a personal moment was potentially more useful to all our causes than me not turning up."
Tilda Swinton: Enigmatic chameleon actor
As the Berlin International Film Festival recognizes Tilda Swinton with the Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achivement, here is a selection of her varied roles.
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'The Room Next Door' (2024)
In the first English-language feature film by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, Tilda Swinton stars alongside Julianne Moore. They portray two friends who reconnect during a difficult phase: Swinton's character is terminally ill and plans to end her life. "The Room Next Door" celebrated its premiere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion.
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'Orlando' (1992)
One of Tilda Swinton's trademarks is her androgynous, impeccable style. Her status as a non-gendered actor was most prominently established through her title role in Sally Potter's award-winning film, "Orlando" (1992), loosely based on Virginia Woolf's classic feminist novel. The story's main protagonist has a mysterious change of sex and lives on for centuries without visibly ageing.
Image: Mary Evans/AF Archive/British Screen/IMAGO
'Michael Clayton' (2007)
Swinton's early roles were generally in experimental, avant-garde works that didn't land among Oscar favorites. But her performance as a corporate lawyer in Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton" allowed her to win an Academy Award and a BAFTA for best supporting actress. The legal thriller starring George Clooney was highly acclaimed.
Image: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection/picture alliance
'We Need to Talk About Kevin' (2011)
This unsettling psychological thriller also led to several accolades: In "We Need to Talk About Kevin," directed by Lynne Ramsay, Swinton stars as the mother of a psychotic boy who has committed horrors. She was nominated for the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and the BAFTA for best lead actress and won the European Film Award for her exceptional performance.
In "Hail, Caesar!" Tilda Swinton plays identical twin sisters, Thora and Thessaly Thacker, who are two gossip columnists always trying to dig up dirt on Hollywood stars. A black comedy about the machinations of 1950s film industry, "Hail Caesar!" was Swinton's second collaboration with the Coen brothers, following "Burn After Reading" (2008).
Image: Collection Christophel/Universal/Mike Zoss Productions/Working Title Films/picture alliance
'Doctor Strange' (2016)
Tilda Swinton is just as classy in experimental works as in mega-blockbusters. In Marvel's "Doctor Strange," she completely shaved her head to portray the Ancient One, once again playing with androgyny. However, some critics accused the production of "whitewashing" the character by turning the mysterious sorcerer into a Celt; in the original Doctor Strange comics, he was originally Asian.
Image: Jay Maidment/Disney/Marvel/AP/picture alliance
'Okja' (2017)
Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho (director of the Oscar-winning "Parasite") has also cast Swinton in two of his movies, "Snowpiercer" (2013) and then "Okja." In the latter, she plays the role of an eccentric CEO aiming to profit from a genetically modified "super pig" called Okja. In Bong's films, she "manages to be both gloriously over-the-top and subtle," wrote a "Vulture" magazine critic.
Image: Kimberly French/AP Photo/picture alliance
'The Souvenir' (2019)
Joanna Hogg's semi-autobiographical film was one of the critical hits of 2019. It also marked the acclaimed film debut of Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton's daughter. In the film, Honor is a film student and Tilda plays her posh mother. "Their on-screen rapport is tremendous," wrote "The Guardian" critic.
Image: Capital Pictures/IMAGO
'The Dead Don't Die' (2019)
You'll often find her in films that bring together an ensemble cast of preternaturally cool actors, such as Jim Jarmusch's "The Dead Don't Die." Along with Tilda Swinton, the 2019 absurdist zombie comedy features Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Carol Kane, RZA, Austin Butler and Selena Gomez.
She is also among the actors regularly appearing in Wes Anderson's stylized movies, from "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012) to "Asteroid City" (2023). Swinton poses here with Timothee Chalamet, Wes Anderson and Bill Murray at the Cannes premiere of "The French Dispatch" (2021). Their contrasting outfits inspired a meme that had social media users labeling the stars with four related but different vibes.
Image: Julie Edwards/Avalon/picture alliance
Tilda Swinton honored at the Berlinale
The Berlinale is the first film fest Tilda Swinton attended as an actor. It was in 1986, for the premiere of her feature debut, Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio." It won the Silver Bear. The Scottish actor presided over the competition's international jury in 2009 and has starred in 26 films in the festival program. On February 13, she will be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime work.
Image: Manuel Romano/NurPhoto/picture alliance
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The press conference came a day after the award ceremony where she condemned — without directly naming any specific country or politician — "efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property."
Her speech also denounced the "entitled domination and the astonishing savagery of spite, state-perpetrated and internationally enabled mass murder."
"The inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch," Swinton said at the opening gala. "I'm here to name it without hesitation or doubt in my mind, and to lend my unwavering solidarity to all those who recognize the unacceptable complacency of our greed-addicted governments who make nice with planet wreckers and war criminals, wherever they come from."
Certain media outlets, such as the Jüdische Allgemeine newspaper, criticized Swinton's speech, calling for apologies — presumably recognizing the unnamed Israel in her condemnation of human rights of violations and war crimes.
On various occasions, Tuttle has made clear that the festival will not be making political statements on the conflict in the Middle East or of its participants' opinions, but she also stressed her belief "that filmmakers have a right to use their platforms to speak about issues they are passionate about, or concerned about. This is free speech. Of course, people may disagree with what is said, and they may voice their opposition to these views. This is also freedom of expression."
"If we silence people, we will soon no longer have an international film festival," Tuttle added. "We are firmly against any form of antisemitism. But we must ensure that freedom of expression is preserved."
Berlinale in pictures: Glitz and politics on the red carpet
The Berlin International Film Festival is seen as the most political of Europe's top film fests. As it opens its 75th edition, this year is no exception.
Image: Ben Kriemann/PIC ONE/IMAGO
A snowy opening
The German capital was covered in snow on Thursday, the opening day of the Berlin International Film Festival. Along with the 19 films competing for the Golden and Silver Bears, hundreds of works will be showcased from February 13 to 23. Along with the icy weather, current events also found their way on the red carpet.
Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance
Thoughts for Munich
The festive mood at the opening was dampened by a suspected car ramming attack in Munich earlier in the day that left 30 people injured. "Since we're here in this opening ceremony together, we of course think of the people in Munich," gala host Desiree Nosbusch said in her opening remarks.
Image: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance
Tom Tykwer opens the festival with 'The Light'
The acclaimed German filmmaker describes "The Light" as the companion piece to his 1998 thriller, "Run Lola Run." Both films offer striking portraits of life in contemporary Berlin. Tykwer, who has been portraying Germany's 1918-1933 Weimar Republic with the hit series "Babylon Berlin," also combines drama, political and social commentary, with song and dance in his new feature film.
Image: RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP
'The Light': A Syrian migrant drama
Tykwer's film stars Lars Eidinger (r) and Nicolette Krebitz (l), who portray two parents in a "typically dysfunctional" middle-class Berlin family. A new housekeeper from Syria (Tala Al-Deen, 2nd from l.) unexpectedly leads the family members to find a deeper connection. The film comes at a moment when Germany is strongly divided on the issue of migration ahead of national elections.
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Tilda Swinton receives Honorary Golden Bear
Actress Tilda Swinton was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for her life's work. In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to the festival and to the "great independent state of cinema" which is "innately inclusive — immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property" — a jab at Trump's proposal to transform Gaza into a resort destination.
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Todd Haynes leads the competition jury
The US director behind "Far From Heaven" (2002) and "Carol" (2015) is seen as one of the leading voices of the New Queer Cinema movement. Haynes presides over the seven-member jury of the Berlinale. At the opening of the festival, he told reporters that his community views the return of Donald Trump "with tremendous concern, shock," adding that there's now "an extra urgency" to filmmaking.
Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance
Presenting the jury
Haynes (center) is joined by the other jurors on the red carpet. From left to right: Argentinian film director Rodrigo Moreno, US film critic Amy Nicholson, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, German actress and director Maria Schrader, French director Nabil Ayouch — donning a jacket with Greta Thunberg's famous quote — and German costume designer Bina Daigeler.
Image: RONNY HARTMANN/AFP
Calling for David Cunio's release
Different German celebrities marked the absence of Israeli hostage David Cunio, an actor still held in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. The red carpet guests are holding a photo of him and his family that reads "Bring David Cunio Home." Cunio starred in Tom Shoval's film "Youth," shown at the festival in 2013. A new Berlinale film, "A Letter to David," also pays tribute to Cunio.
Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance
Climate activist Luisa Neubauer wears a message
Despite the cold, German activist Luisa Neubauer didn't cover up her dress and its message: The names refer to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party. A paler one on the list asks if Friedrich Merz — Germany's front-runner as chancellor who is criticized for courting with the far right — should belong on this list.
Image: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance
Tricia Tuttle's first Berlinale as director
It is Tricia Tuttle's first edition as the head of the film festival. Though she hopes politics will not completely eclipse the program's story-telling and art, she sees the film festival as a space of "resistance." Cinema can offer a counter-narrative against "all of the perverse ideas that many far-right parties across the whole world and across Europe are spreading," she told reporters.
