The Berlin Film Festival has responded to separate claims by German politicians that pro-Palestinian speeches at its closing ceremony on Saturday were “unacceptable”, “antisemitic” and “malicious” in tone.
“According to our understanding, everything that was said on Saturday, was within the bounds of free speech laws in Germany,” the festival wrote in response to questions from Deadline on the backlash.
“The Berlinale as an institution does not practice hostility toward individuals because of their identity, religion or nationality. We also stand for cinema, artistic freedom, and human dignity. In these days, defending these positions feels fraught in ways we wish it did not, but it is vitally important.”
The festival has found itself in eye of yet another political storm in the wake of Saturday’s politically charged closing ceremony in which several prize-winners used their acceptance speeches to voice support for Palestine and the people of Gaza in the face of a 28-month Israeli military campaign.
German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walked out of the ceremony after Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, whose film Chronicles From The Siege won the top prize in the Perspectives section, accused the German government of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel”.
A spokesman for Schneider said later that the minister had found Al-Khatib’s speech “unacceptable”, while Culture Commissioner Wolfram Weimer described the speech as “malicious” and conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) politician Alexander Hoffmann called the remarks “anti-Semitic”.
Ironically, the fresh controversy follows a tumultuous 76th edition with Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle, jury president Wim Wenders and the wider festival staff weathering criticism of the event’s perceived lack of public solidarity for Palestinians, which included a high-profile petition condemning its silence.
The Berlinale said it would be “reviewing everything in the coming weeks”, noting that while the 76th edition had been largely successful it had been bruising on the staff and festival alike.
“The festival has been a big success, with film premieres having been received well critically, again very high numbers of public admissions and industry accreditations, and an equally strong market. But this year was hard for our incredible staff and damaging for the platform itself and we will assess what we need to do to protect these very precious assets, while still protecting the values of the Berlinale,” read the festival’s reply to Deadline.
The Berlinale has been caught repeatedly in the crosshairs of the polarised global debate around the Israel-Gaza War, sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 73,600 in Gaza and left three-quarters of its 2.1 million strong population living in tents.
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Israel’s military action in Gaza concluded that Israel was committing genocide in a report released last September. The country has said accusations of genocide are “baseless” because the country is not acting with “intent.”
Germany maintains a staunchly pro-Israel stance for state reasons rooted in the country’s responsibility for the Holocaust in which six million Jewish people died.
In the wake of Saturday’s opening ceremony right-wing journalist Gunnar Schupelius went as far as to suggest in a column for conservative tabloid Bild that Tuttle had “posed for Gaza propaganda” in relation to photograph of her at the Chronicles From The Siege world premiere.
Schupelius took umbrage at the fact that she was shown standing beside the Palestinian cast and crew as they wore the traditional Palestinian headscarf, or keffiyeh, and were holding a Palestinian flag.
There is a growing sense in the wider film industry and festival scene that Tuttle is in an impossible position, even though she has worked hard to foster open and respectful debate and been scrupulous in showing empathy to all attendees.
Aside from welcoming Palestinian filmmakers, Tuttle also took time out of this year’s Berlinale to attend a special screening on the fringes of the festival for A Letter To David – The Complete Version.
The film is a recut version of Tom Shoval’s film A Letter to David, paying to tribute his friend David Cunio who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, which screened at the Berlinale last year.
The new version updates the story with Cunio’s liberation last October. David and Ariel Cunio also traveled to Berlin for the emotional screening, with Tuttle saying in opening comments that the festival had ” rejoiced with everyonel” at the news of their release last year.
Chronicles From The Siege is Al-Khatib’s second feature after documentary Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege, capturing the events in his birthplace of the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, which was cut from the world by Bashir Al-Assad’s regime during the Syrian Civil War.
Set in an unspecified city, his new drama follows the stories of five people whose lives have been overturned as they struggle to survive in the harsh reality conflict, chasing food, shelter, warmth and medical care.
Al-Khatib, who currently lives in Germany, was among several filmmakers who spoke out against Israel’s military action in Gaza Alongside Marie-Rose Osta, whose portrait of a boy coping with war Someday a Child won the Golden Bear for best short film; shorts jury member Ameer Fakher Eldin; best screenplay winner Geneviève Dulude-de Celles (Nina Roza) and Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Emin Alper (Salvation).
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