More than 80 current and former participants in Germany's Berlinale film festival signed an open letter accusing it of silence over Gaza. DW has talked to the festival's director, who rejects the accusations.
Jury President Wim Wenders' (second from left) comments have led to controversy at the 2026 BerlinaleImage: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo/picture alliance
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More than 80 actors, directors and writers who are current or former participants in Germany's Berlin International Film Festival have signed an open letter condemning the organization's "institutional silence" and "censoring" over the war in Gaza.
The open letter, first published by leading US entertainment trade magazine and website Variety on February 17, was signed by the likes of British actress Tilda Swinton, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles and British filmmaker Mike Leigh.
It comes in response to comments made by the head of the festival's jury, German filmmaker Wim Wenders, who last week responded to a journalist's question about the lack of a public statement on Gaza by stating that "We should stay out of politics."
"We are dismayed at the Berlinale's involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state's key role in enabling it," the joint statement reads.
Israel has repeatedly denied the accusations of genocide.
Germany has formally intervened at the ICJ in support of Israel, rejecting genocide allegations brought by South Africa.
Open letter calls on Berlinale to speak out on Gaza
The actors and filmmakers who signed the open letter argue that there is a wider culture in Germany that has stifled speech in favor of Palestinians' rights.
"We fervently disagree with the statement made by Berlinale 2026 jury president Wim Wenders that filmmaking is 'the opposite of politics,'" the open letter reads. "You cannot separate one from the other."
"We are deeply concerned that the German state-funded Berlinale is helping put into practice what Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, recently condemned as Germany's misuse of draconian legislation 'to restrict advocacy for Palestinian rights, chilling public participation and shrinking discourse in academia and the arts.'"
Red carpet moments and politics at the Berlinale 2026
The Berlin International Film Festival runs February 12-22. Here are some of the stars attending the event — and what some of them had to say on the political role of cinema.
Image: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo/picture alliance
'No Good Men' opens the festival
The festival's opening film, "No Good Men," is said to be the "first Afghan romantic comedy." It features an unusual combination of feel-good feminist vibes amid the Taliban takeover of Aghanistan in 2021. Director Shahrbanoo Sadat, who also has a lead role in the film, poses with co-stars, Anwar Hashimi and the young Liam Hussaini, on the red carpet before the world premiere held on February 12.
Image: Dave Bedrosian/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
Wim Wenders leads the jury
The German director of cult films including "Wings of Desire" (1987) and the Oscar-nominated "Perfect Days" (2023) has been recognized with prizes around the world. Now, along with his fellow jurors, he will be deciding who will win the Berlinale's top awards, the Golden and Silver Bears. But beyond his role in the jury, it was a statement on politics that drew the media's attention.
Image: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance
Boycotting the festival: Arundhati Roy
The Indian author was expected in Berlin, but Roy has withdrawn from the festival following Wim Wenders' press conference statement that filmmakers "have to stay out of politics." Reacting to the social media storm, festival director Tricia Tuttle noted that the quote distorted Wenders' values, and that free speech also includes the right to "not be expected to comment on all broader debates."
Image: Jonas Been Henriksen/NTB/dpa/picture alliance
80 film workers denounce the festival's silence on Israel’s Gaza war
Tilda Swinton, who received the Honorary Golden Bear last year, is among the 80 signatories of an open letter published in Variety on Tuesday. The actors and directors condemn the Berlinale for its "anti-Palestinian racism." Denouncing Wim Wenders' comment, they also urge organizers to clearly state their opposition to "Israel's genocide" in Gaza.
Image: Ronny Hartmann/AFP/Getty Images
Michelle Yeoh receives Honorary Golden Bear
Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh, winner of the 2023 Oscar for best actress for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear this year. Asked to comment on US politics at the festival's press conference, the actress — who primarily lives in Switzerland — said she didn't feel "in the position to really talk about the political situation in the US."
Image: Ronny Hartmann/AFP
Hiam Abbass in a queer family drama
Starring in competition entry "In a Whisper," French-Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass commented on the festival row, noting that Wenders' remarks were "taken out of context," since he did mention that cinema can "change the world" — but that filmmakers shouldn't be drawn into party politics. Still, for the star of "Succession," "everything we do is a political act."
Image: Axel Schmidt/REUTERS
Ethan Hawke all for 'anything that fights fascism'
Hawke stars in the Depression-era drama "The Weight," which celebrated its European premiere in Berlin. Also asked about stars' responsibility to speak out on political topics like fascism, the actor first joked that "a bunch of jet-lagged, drunk artists" are probably "the last place you want to look" to obtain guidance. But, he concluded, "anything that fights fascism, I'm all for it."
Image: Ben Kriemann/PIC ONE/IMAGO
Charli xcx finds a 'Moment' in Berlin
Another star at the festival is British pop icon Charli xcx, who plays a semi-fictional version of herself in "The Moment," a mockumentary directed by Aidan Zamiri. The film is described as "a chaotic, self-aware reflection on fame, identity and artistic pressure." Amid heated the debate on the role of politics in cinema, Charli applauded the festival for "not shying away from political films."
Image: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo/picture alliance
Bella Ramsey and Neil Patrick Harris in a tear-jerking comedy
In "Sunny Dancer," which premieres in Berlin on February 13, the star of "The Last of Us," Bella Ramsey (second from left), plays the role of a teenager affected by cancer who reluctantly attends a camp with other kids battling with the illness. Neil Patrick Harris (far right) also stars in the coming-of-age movie. They pose here with producer Ken Petrie and director George Jaques.
Image: Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/IMAGO
An ensemble cast for 'Rosebush Pruning'
Pamela Anderson was on the red carpet to celebrate the premiere of "Rosebush Pruning," directed by Karim Ainouz, in which she plays the mother of an extremely wealthy, dysfunctional family. The film also stars Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell and Tracy Letts.
Image: Ben Kriemann/PIC ONE/picture alliance
Power couple Dua Lipa and Callum Turner
Also supporting the world premiere of "Rosebush Pruning," Callum Turner showed up on Berlin's red carpet with his fiancée, pop superstar Dua Lipa. The couple's presence at the festival not only added a touch of glamour to the event, but also of romance, since it happened to be right on Valentine's Day.
Image: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo/picture alliance
Rupert Grint: Not a Ron Weasley role
"Harry Potter" fans lined up along the red carpet to get a selfie with the English actor for the world premiere of "Nightborn." Grint attended the festival alongside his Finnish co-star, Seidi Haarla. They portray a couple with a newborn child, but something is terribly wrong with the baby — horror in an isolated Finnish forest.
Image: Dave Bedrosian/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
Sam Rockwell is a strange man from the future
The US actor known for his quirky and charismatic character roles plays a man who comes from the future with a mission to save the world from AI zombification in "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean"). Rockwell was also in Berlin for the European premiere of this zany sci-fi comedy.
Image: Thomas Bohlen/Starface/IMAGO
Isabelle Huppert in a vampire mystery movie
A Berlinale regular, French actress Isabelle Huppert is renowned for her portrayals of cold, morally dubious women. In "The Blood Countess," directed by German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, she embodies the mysterious titular character, who — after decades off the radar — reappears in present-day Vienna to track down a book that could potentially destroy all evil, including vampires.
Image: Thomas Bohlen/Starface/IMAGO
Juliette Binoche in 'Queen at Sea'
Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche poses here on the Berlinale red carpet. She stars alongside knighted British New Wave actor Tom Courtenay, as well as Anna Calder-Marshall and Florence Hunt, in a drama about a family dealing with the mother's dementia, "Queen at Sea," directed by Lance Hammer.
Image: Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA/IMAGO
John Turturro as an aging pickpocket
Famous for his frequent collaborations with the Coen brothers and Spike Lee, actor John Turturro will not only be at the festival for the European premiere of "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," he will also be giving a talk with the film's director, Noah Segan, as part of a series of free events called Berlinale HUB.
Image: MRC II Distribution Company L.P.
Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum are parents in 'Josephine'
Hollywood star Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan ("Crazy Rich Asians") take on the role of parents of an 8-year-old girl (Mason Reeves in her debut role) who has to process a traumatic event. Beth de Araujo's film has already won awards at Sundance.
Image: Josephine Film Holdings LLC
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The letter points out that the Berlinale has in the past made "clear statements" about the "atrocities" carried out against civilians in Ukraine and Iran.
"We call on the Berlinale to fulfill its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel's genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians, and completely end its involvement in shielding Israel from criticism and calls for accountability," it reads.
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Berlinale rejects accusations and defends Wenders' comments
The head of the Berlinale, Tricia Tuttle, rejected accusations of censorship.
"It's not true that we are silencing filmmakers. It's not true that our programmers are intimidating filmmakers. In fact, it's the opposite," Tuttle told DW. "We want to create a platform at the Berlinale for free speech. We want to defend people's right to speak."
The festival director found the letter painful to read, especially considering that she knows some of the signatories personally. "I really wish that they would come to us first to talk about this," she said.
She noted that the Israel-Gaza conflict is "probably the most urgent political issue of our time," but added that beyond those campaigning for Palestinian rights, there are "people who want more complexity to the conversation."
"It's so polarized that it's very difficult to have that conversation at a film festival," she said.
One of the arguments of those asking the Berlinale to take an official stance on the issue is that the festival has done so for other conflicts in the past, for instance by opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supporting Iranian anti-government protestors.
But Tuttle, who has only been the director of the Berlin festival for two years now, said she realized from her previous position as head of the London Film Festival that "when we take a position on major geopolitical issues that are not related to the films in the festival, that becomes the story of the festival."
"I want the festival platform to be given to the 287 voices, the filmmakers, that are in the festival who are expressing all kinds of complex opinions about the world that we live in, some directly and some indirectly, some subtly, some not so subtly. I really want that space to be for them."
The festival director was caught off guard this year by the approach of journalists asking political questions unrelated to the films being discussed to obtain answers "that could be sound-bited and then turned into some sort of viral moment."
For her, the Wim Wenders sound bite misrepresents what the filmmaker actually said, as well as the values he has been promoting throughout his five-decade career.
"It's clearly incredibly damaging, not just for the festival, but for all of culture, that people are forced to speak. And if they don't speak, then that is an affront to people. If they do speak and don't say what the questioner wants to hear, that is an affront. And if they say the wrong thing, then that's a massive problem."
Edited by: Louis Oelofse. The article was updated on February 19 after its publication on February 17 with Tricia Tuttle's response to the criticism. The interview with Tuttle was conducted by Scott Roxborough.
