The 76th Berlin Film Festival closed on Saturday after 10 days of controversy over the Gaza war set off what the director called “a stormy sea” that often overshadowed discussion of the 22 films in competition.
The row broke out at the start of the festival, when jury president Wim Wenders said in response to a question about the German government’s support for Israel: “We can’t really get into politics.”
At the same press conference, he said movies have the power to “change the world,” but not in the same way as politics.
But his comments in response to a question about Israel sparked an uproar.
Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who was due to present a restored version of the 1989 film she wrote about, withdrew from the event, calling Bonaventure’s comments “unconscionable” and “jaw-dropping”.
An open letter signed by dozens of film industry figures on Tuesday, including actors Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton and director Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin Film Festival for its “silence on the genocide of Palestinians” and accused it of being involved in “censoring” artists for their actions against Israel.
– The movie eclipsed –
Director Tricia Tuttle, in her second year at the helm of the Berlinale, has firmly denied the accusations, calling some of the claims in the letter “misinformation” and “inaccuracies.”
Speaking at the festival’s Independent Jury Awards ceremony on Saturday, Tuttle described the past 10 days as “turbulent waters.”
Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, whose film “Moscas” is in official competition, used the opportunity to say: “More than 17,000 children have been killed in Gaza in the past two years.”
“I should make my voice heard and I ask all governments and organizations to make their voice heard as well,” he said.
Later on Saturday, the main international jury will hand out awards, including the coveted Golden Bear for best film.
The ceremony will take place at 1700 GMT.
The standout work in the official competition was “We Are All Strangers” by Anthony Chen.
Set in Chan’s native Singapore, the film is a touching family drama that humorously satirizes the vast social disparities that exist among the city-state’s gleaming skyscrapers.
German actress Sandra Hueller, who received international acclaim for her roles in “Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” also won plaudits for her starring role in Austrian director Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose.”
The black-and-white drama tells the story of a woman in rural Germany in the 17th century who impersonates a man to escape the constraints of patriarchy.
– Crackdown in Iran –
Juliette Binoche also moved fans with her performance as a woman caring for her mother with dementia in “The Queen” from American director Lance Hammer, who has not made a feature film since 2008.
The film sensitively depicts the devastation Alzheimer’s disease takes on loved ones.
The first major event on the film calendar also provides a platform for Iranian filmmakers to address the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in their home country.
From director Mahnaz Mohammadi, who spent time in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, Roa is a poignant portrait of the conditions inside the prison and the mark it leaves on the psyche of its inmates.
Dissident director Jafar Panahi, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “It Was Just an Accident,” also spoke at the Berlin Film Festival to condemn the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters, which international groups say has killed thousands or tens of thousands.
“Incredible crimes took place. Mass murders took place. People were not even allowed to mourn their loved ones,” Panahi said in a speech organized during the festival.
“People don’t want violence. They avoid violence. It’s the regime that imposes violence on them,” Panahi said.
In December, he was sentenced to a year in prison and banned from traveling to Iran, but he said he still planned to return.
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