Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle has expressed her gratitude for the support of the film and festival communities, which rallied behind her in recent days following rumors she was on the verge of being axed, and also reaffirmed the festival’s independence.
“During a uniquely challenging period, the outpouring of support from German cultural organisations, and from the international cinema and film festival communities has been deeply moving,” Tuttle wrote in a note posted on the festival’s site on Friday, referring to a raft of open letters and statements issued on her behalf over the past 10 days.
“I am so grateful to everyone who reached out and also feel the responsibility it confers on me and on the Berlinale to lead the way in navigating fraught waters,” she continued. “I want to reassure each of you that I would not have continued as director without a firm belief in the clear and unequivocal reaffirmation of the independence of the Berlinale.”
The note was published just two days after German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer and the festival’s supervisory body, the Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH (KBB), confirmed Tuttle would remain in her role after a chaotic 10 days during which her position was in question.
Rumors Tuttle was on verge of being sacked first surfaced on February 26 after Conservative tabloid newspaper Bild reported Weimer had called an extraordinary meeting to discuss her future as festival director.
The move followed in the wake of a political backlash against a series of pro-Palestinian speeches by prize winners, including Palestinian Chronicles From The Siege director Abdallah Al-Khatib who accused the German government of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel”.
In a coda to Friday’s note, Tuttle said she was also writing to address questions around the circumstances behind her staying on in the role of festival director.
In a statement on Wednesday, Germany’s Minister of Culture said the decision to keep Tuttle on had been accompanied by her willingness to consider certain recommendations, which include the creation of an advisory council and a code of conduct, but there has been confusion around what this means.
“Let me clarify that the recommendations from the KBB Supervisory Board are in fact recommendations and not conditions of my employment. The Board’s renewed expression of faith in my leadership signals their trust in us to consider each proposal seriously and open-mindedly,” wrote Tuttle.
“We will do this in acknowledgement that they share our commitment to the democratic, pluralist principle of free expression. The acceptance of these recommendations, and the manner of their implementation, will be for us to decide. On any points related to wider KBB policies I will be one of four directors of the KBB involved in those discussions. Together, we represent many people working in culture across the Berlinale, Berliner Festspiele with the Gropius Bau, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt,” she continued.
Tuttle gave no further details on if, when and how an advisory council and code of conduct would be created.
Some local industry professionals have suggested to Deadline that the issue of the recommendations could still prove thorny down the line, even if Tuttle’s uptake of them would be voluntary.
In the meantime, Tuttle, who is two years into a five-year contract, reiterated her desire to carry on leading the festival.
“I am proud that we have emerged from this difficult moment with a stronger Berlinale, more visibly committed than ever to promoting the vitality of cinema. Where filmmakers from Germany and around the world present their work freely to our endlessly adventurous audiences. Where diverse voices are amplified. And where artistic expression is protected,” she wrote.
“This is the actual work of a film festival, and my team and I can’t wait to get started on that work for the Berlinale’s 77th edition.”
English (US) ·