Hundreds of filmmakers support the Berlinale director because of the winners’ statements about Gaza Berlin Film Festival

Prominent directors and actors demonstrated in support of the US president at the Berlin Film Festival in response to reports that she could be fired over award-winning statements criticizing the war in Gaza and the German government’s support for Israel.

The German federal government’s commissioner for culture and media, Wolfram Weimer, held a crisis meeting on Thursday on the “future direction of the Berlinale,” which is among the top three film shows in Europe alongside Cannes and Venice.

Weimar’s office said after the talks that “discussions about the direction of the Berlinale will continue in the coming days” between the festival’s president, Tricia Tuttle, and the event’s board.

Bild newspaper had reported that Thursday’s meeting could lead to the dismissal of Tuttle, the US festival’s director since 2024, after controversy over pro-Palestinian speeches at Saturday’s closing ceremony, one of which criticized Germany as “accomplices in genocide.”

The newspaper “Bild” quoted sources close to Weimar as saying that the acceptance speech given by the Syrian-Palestinian director Abdullah Al-Khatib, who won the award for best feature film for his drama “Chronicles from the Siege,” and the photo taken a week ago that showed Tuttle with the team of Al-Khatib’s film, had caused particular insult.

The photo showed a number of Al-Khatib team members wearing the keffiyeh, one of them carrying the Palestinian flag. The Berlinale director usually takes photos with the film crew during the festival.

The report sparked a wave of solidarity with Tuttle, who previously ran the London Film Festival, and stark warnings about freedom of expression and artistic freedom in German society in the face of “intimidation.”

Nearly 700 filmmakers signed a petition supporting Tuttle. They included Oscar winners Tilda Swinton and Todd Haynes, both former Berlinale jury presidents, directors Sean Baker and Kleber Mendonça Filho, Israeli filmmakers Oren Moverman and Ari Folman, as well as German Ilker Katak, whose drama about creeping authoritarianism won this year’s Golden Bear.

“If a special meeting is held to decide the future of the festival’s leadership, more is at stake than just one appointment,” the petition, published in the trade magazine Variety, said. “What is at issue is the relationship between artistic freedom and institutional autonomy.”

The Berlinale, now in its 76th year, “has always been political – not party political, but socially engaged,” she said. He continued: “Especially in times of global crises, we need spaces capable of perpetuating disagreement. The independence of cultural institutions not only guarantees artistic freedom, but also guarantees the vitality of democratic discourse itself.”

“If every disagreement leads to institutional repercussions, discourse gives way to control. We support a culture of exchange, not intimidation.”

The Berlin branch of the International Writers Union (PEN International) also expressed its dismay at the possibility of Tuttle being ousted or pressured to resign, in a statement ahead of the crisis talks on Thursday.

She said that Al-Khatib’s statements were “protected by freedom of expression — just as wearing a keffiyeh and flying the Palestinian flag is,” and that Tuttle should bear no blame for the festival participants’ statements.

“We are certain that the Berlinale, as a festival of international importance, would suffer serious damage” if Tuttle left now, Berlin’s PEN Club said in a statement. “Such brutal destruction of the German cultural landscape, such self-division into provinces, should not be allowed to happen.”

Several Israeli film institutions, including the Jerusalem and Haifa Film Festivals, also expressed their support for Tuttle, praising her “commitment to diversity of voices, non-censorship, and creating a space for open debate for all voices.”

Meanwhile, more than 500 Berlinale staff signed an open letter praising her “clarity, integrity and artistic vision.”

Since the beginning of her term, Tuttle has faced controversies over the war in Gaza, with a diverse scene of international artists who have opposed the explicit pro-Israel consensus among the German political authorities managing the Berlinale’s finances.

She admitted during the ceremony that this year’s edition was difficult and “emotional.” On opening day, the jury, led by veteran German director Wim Wenders, faced pointed questions at a press conference about their views on Gaza.

Wenders rejected the idea that filmmakers and cultural institutions should actively take political stances, sparking a firestorm of protests online and in the arts community.

Indian author Arundhati Roy canceled his appearance and more than 80 active or former Berlinale participants signed an open letter condemning Wenders’ statements. “We are appalled by the Berlinale’s involvement in censoring artists who oppose the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state’s key role in enabling it,” the letter read.

Tuttle vigorously denied these accusations.

Both Wenders and Tuttle attempted to clarify their position at the awards ceremony, with Wenders describing the “artificial contradiction” between art and political activism, which social media has stirred up.

“Activists fight mainly online for humanitarian reasons, specifically the dignity and protection of human life,” Wenders said. “These are our issues too, as the Berlinale films clearly show.”