Global Filmmakers Criticize Berlin Film Festival’s Silence on Gaza
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, more than eighty renowned global filmmakers and actors, including Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, have issued a joint statement strongly criticizing the Berlin International Film Festival’s silence regarding the developments in Gaza and the alleged genocide in the region.
The signatories of the statement expressed shock at the “institutional silence of the Berlin Festival” and conveyed their deep dissatisfaction with “complicity in censoring artists who oppose the ongoing genocide by the Israeli regime against Palestinians in Gaza.”
This statement follows recent controversies, including remarks by Wim Wenders, the head of the festival’s jury, who, when asked about the situation in Gaza, stated, “We must stay out of politics.” These comments drew significant negative reactions from many activists and artists.
Among other notable signatories of the letter are the acclaimed British director Mike Leigh and the well-known American filmmaker Adam McKay. Many of these artists have a history of collaboration and presenting their works at the Berlin Festival, with some, including Tilda Swinton, having received the prestigious “Golden Bear” award at the cinematic event last year.
In their statement, these artists emphasized their strong disagreement with Wenders’ remarks, deeming the separation of cinema from politics impossible and contrary to the human and ethical duty of artists. They declared that the Berlin Festival must now fulfill its ethical obligation and openly express its opposition to Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza.
The signatories not only criticized the festival’s neutral stance on the Gaza war but also vehemently protested the German government’s supportive role of the Israeli regime and its facilitation of the continuation of this situation.
