As the fate of Berlinale chief Tricia Tuttle is being debated at an extraordinary meeting convened by Germany’s culture minister Wolfram Weimer, staffers of the festival have penned an open letter to voice their support for Tuttle.
Tuttle, who succeeded Carlo Chatrian as artistic director of the Berlinale two years ago, has come under fire due to some political backlash which overshadowed the latest edition of the Berlin Film Festival.
‘In light of the ongoing debates and recent developments, more than 500 Berlinale employees have now jointly shared this message with policymakers and the public (…) and speak with one voice in unanimous support of the extraordinary Tricia Tuttle as the Director of the Berlinale,” the festival staff said in the open letter.
“We have all worked closely with Tricia during her tenure and witnessed firsthand the clarity, integrity, and artistic vision that she has brought to the Berlinale,” says the letter. “She has made the many hundreds of Berlinale colleagues feel individually respected and collectively, extremely proud of our achievements over the course of two difficult years.”
“We do not exaggerate when we say, as one, that it is unlikely the KBB Supervisory Board could have appointed a more intelligent, ethical and responsive leader for the Berlinale, nor one more dedicated to the core principles that make this festival a vital platform for cinema in Germany and internationally,” the letter continues.
The festival was first accused of censoring political talk when prominent attendees, including jury president Wim Wenders, declined to discuss politics. But the controversy blew up when on closing night on Saturday, where several prize-winners used their acceptance speeches to voice support for Palestine and Gaza.
German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider reportedly walked out of the ceremony after Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib — who won the top Perspectives section for his film “Chronicles From the Siege” — accused the German government of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel.”
The backlash has culminated with the federal government commissioner for culture and the media (BKM) announcing an extraordinary meeting of the festival’s governing body to “discuss the future direction of the Berlinale.”
Alex Ritman contributed to this report.
Here is the full open letter:
Open Letter in Support of Tricia Tuttle
noted by the Berlinale team
February 26, 2026
The Berlinale team looks back on a successful festival 2026, realised collectively and met with a strong response from filmmakers from around the world as well as tens of thousands of audience members in the cinemas. In light of the ongoing debates and recent developments, more than 500 Berlinale employees (as of 26 February, 8:45 a.m.: 510) have now jointly shared this message with policymakers and the public.
We, the staff, contract employees and freelancers of the Berlinale and associated institutions, representing a plurality of perspectives, speak with one voice in unanimous support of the extraordinary Tricia Tuttle as the Director of the Berlinale.
We have all worked closely with Tricia during her tenure and witnessed firsthand the clarity, integrity, and artistic vision that she has brought to the Berlinale. She has made the many hundreds of Berlinale colleagues feel individually respected and collectively, extremely proud of our achievements over the course of two difficult years.
We do not exaggerate when we say, as one, that it is unlikely the KBB Supervisory Board could have appointed a more intelligent, ethical and responsive leader for the Berlinale, nor one more dedicated to the core principles that make this festival a vital platform for cinema in Germany and internationally.
We hope this message will go some way to communicating the extent of the admiration and loyalty Tricia has inspired in all who are invested in the future of the Berlinale, and the future of cinema.
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