The Berlinale has confirmed that Tricia Tuttle is to remain in place as director of the festival following a supervisory board meeting on Wednesday.
The decision to keep Tuttle in the role was taken during meeting at the German Culture Ministry of the festival’s managing body, the Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH (KBB).
The board is headed by Tuttle alongside fellow directors Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung and Matthias Pees and Managing Director Charlotte Sieben, with German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer acting as its chair.
The festival confirmed Tuttle would stay in place but refuted German press reports that certain conditions had been placed on the festival management.
“After today’s Supervisory Board meeting of the KBB on the future of the Berlinale, we welcome the Board’s confirmation of the importance of the independence of our work,” said the festival.
“We share their conviction that the festival is on the right path and that it can continue to grow and improve under Tricia Tuttle’s leadership. We have also received recommendations rather than conditions related to Tuttle’s continued employment. Their consideration and any implementation now rests with the Berlinale, and we will review them.”
In a separate statement released by the German Ministry of Culture ahead of the Berlinale’s release, Weimer said
A separate statement from the German Ministry of culture said the board welcomed the willingness of Tuttle “to continue in her role and regretted the overshadowing of the artistic work of the most recent Berlinale by political activism”.
“Tricia Tuttle has energetically set the course for the Berlinale over the past few months, guiding it out of a crisis that had been looming for some time. I thank her for her willingness to continue on this path,” Weimer was quoted as saying.
The statement said the KBB had “formulated recommendations for strengthening the festival in order to develop it further in the long term and to secure its social acceptance and economic stability”.
These recommendations include the establishment of an advisory forum as well as the development of a KBB-wide code of conduct.
The statement added that the KBB had reaffirmed its firm commitment to combating antisemitism and endorsed the KBB’s clear stance on protecting, promoting, and amplifying Jewish perspectives.
Confirmation that Tuttle will remain in her role follows a week of chaos for the festival following a report in the German tabloid Bild that Tuttle’s job was under threat. Bild said the German Culture Minister was considering Tuttle’s job in part because of a series of pro-Palestinian speeches during the festival’s closing ceremony.
There has been a groundswell of support for Tuttle from cinema professionals in Germany, Europe, and beyond. An open letter, first reported by Deadline, circulated across the industry and featured more than 2,500 signatories, including Sean Baker, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Nancy Spielberg.
Yesterday, A diverse group of film festival directors, including longtime Cannes head Thierry Frémaux, published a letter in support of Tuttle. Other signatories included Toronto Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey, Rotterdam head Vanja Kaludjercic, San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos, and Locarno director Giona A. Nazzaro.
English (US) ·