Hollywood stars Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, along with a group of over 80 artists, including filmmakers Miguel Gomes and Adam McKay, have blasted the Berlinale in a scathing open letter denouncing the film festival's “silence” on “Gaza” and for “censoring” the voices that speak out against the ongoing conflict.
This open letter comes close on the heels of Indian author Arundhati Roy’s sharp critique of Berlinale jury president Wim Wenders.
During the festival's opening press conference, Wenders' remarks sparked controversy, prompting Roy to publicly distance herself from the event in protest of his stance on political engagement in cinema.
She said she was looking forward to but now won't attend the premiere of the restored version of her film "In Which Annie Gives it to Those Ones" as she is disappointed by Wenders' comments about staying out of politics when asked about Gaza.
The open letter, which was also shared by Mark Ruffalo on his social media page, has been signed by Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan and Tobias Menzies, as well as directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, and Avi Mograbi.
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After the uproar on Wenders' comments, festival head Tricia Tuttle defended the jury in a statement, saying, "Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control.” But that has done little to defuse the situation.
In the open letter, the signatories said they fervently disagree with Wenders views on filmmaking and politics.
“You cannot separate one from the other,” they said, pointing out how the tide is changing across the international film world as more than 5,000 film workers, including several major Hollywood names, have declared that they will not work with “complicit Israeli film companies and institutions".
The open letter also said Berlinale has made clear statements in the past about the atrocities in Iran and Ukraine.
“We call on the Berlinale to fulfil 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,” the letter concludes.
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