According to Lupita Nyong’o, the Berlinale jury president, the upcoming edition of the international film festival is expected to be more politically charged than ever before. This statement was made during the festival’s opening press conference, where tensions between nations were also brought to light.
The city of Berlin has a reputation for being the most contentious of the three major European film festivals. However, this year’s festival is facing numerous challenges. The ongoing violence in the Middle East, the increasing presence of far-right parties in Europe, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year, were all pressing issues as the festival’s jury was introduced on Thursday morning.
The Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko was optimistic that during the 10-day festival, she could “enlighten” her fellow jury member Albert Serra, a film-maker from Catalonia who has previously shown interest in unconventional politicians such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Serra seemed hesitant to take back his remarks on stage.
When questioned about a previous interview where he allegedly praised Putin, Serra stated, “I believe politics is a multifaceted issue and cannot simply be reduced to labeling someone as good or bad.” He went on to say, “Simply calling someone like Trump a bad person does not bring about any meaningful change.”
Ukrainian author Zabuzhko, known for her acclaimed works, shared that Serra had informed her the previous night that he had purchased one of her books. She expressed hope that this would lead to his education on the subject.
A German filmmaker and member of the seven-person jury, Christian Petzold, raised concerns about the Berlinale director’s choice to disinvite members of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party from the opening gala on Thursday. He expressed doubt that the controversy surrounding their exclusion would only serve to strengthen the party.
“I am currently engaged in lively discussions,” stated Nyong’o, the award-winning actor from Mexico and Kenya, known for her performances in 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther. “We all bring unique perspectives and diverse opinions.” She anticipated the upcoming week and a half to be “stimulating” and “potentially contentious”.
The jury consists of various members who will select winners in seven different categories from a pool of 20 films in competition. Among them are Hong Kong’s director Ann Hui, Italian actor and director Jasmine Trinca, and American actor and director Brady Corbet.
Political debates are a mainstay of the Berlinale, and by design. Last year Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy was invited to rally artists and film-makers with a rousing speech at the opening gala, and in the early 2010s organisers reacted to the events of the Arab spring by setting up a designated programme of films from the region. Previous mottoes have come straight out of the phrasebook of the 1968 student protest movement: “The private is political.”
The current co-directors of the festival, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, are running it for the fifth and final time. They have emphasized the festival’s serious nature, choosing more challenging films over Hollywood entertainment. The opening film for this year, Small Things Like These, delves into the Magdalene Laundries abuse scandal in Ireland.
In the past few weeks, the festival’s leaders promptly defended Iranian filmmakers Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha. It was evident that they would not be able to attend the showing of their film My Favourite Cake due to a travel restriction imposed by the Iranian government.
However, the festival has faced difficulties in clearly defining its stance in certain debates. The festival’s decision to invite 100 members of the Berlin state parliament caused controversy, particularly due to the inclusion of members from the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland. This invitation sparked concerns due to reports of a secret meeting between the far-right politicians and neo-Nazi activists, which allegedly discussed plans for mass deportations of migrants and non-white German citizens. These reports triggered protests throughout the country.
The directors of the Berlinale initially rejected a request from members of the film industry to disinvite AfD politicians from the opening gala. However, they later changed their minds and decided to disinvite the politicians after all. Jury member Petzold, who won a Silver Bear award in 2012 for his GDR drama “Barbara,” appeared unimpressed with the reversal.
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“I don’t believe it’s an issue to have five members of AfD present in the audience,” he stated. “We are not afraid. If we cannot handle five AfD politicians, then we will fail in our fight.” He emphasized that the thousands of individuals protesting against the far-right organization were of greater significance and that discussing whether or not AfD members should be permitted to attend the festival would only serve to empower them.
The Middle East crisis greatly affects the festival as well. Some of the films featured in the program tackle the underlying issues of the conflict. However, the directors of the Berlinale have faced criticism for not taking a more assertive position.
Numerous movies provide a starting point for discussing the conflict in Gaza and Germany’s complex involvement. In the film Treasure, directed by Julia von Heinz, a music journalist (played by Lena Dunham) and her father, a Holocaust survivor (played by Stephen Fry), come face to face with his past during a visit to Poland. The documentary No Other Land, created by a group of four young Palestinian-Israeli activists, follows the gradual destruction of Palestinian villages in the West Bank. Additionally, Andrei Cohn’s Holy Week, a Romanian film, delves into issues of racism and antisemitism at the end of the 19th century.
Discussions about sensitive topics have been openly encouraged by Rissenbeek and Chatrian. In addition to the red carpet, a cabin-like structure will be present during the opening weekend, inviting individuals to engage in dialogue about Israel and Palestine. Some activists have criticized this “Tiny Space” initiative as a mere facade intended to prevent conflicts from spilling over into the festival as a whole.
Prior to the festival, a petition known as “Strike Germany” was created anonymously, urging individuals in the international arts community to refrain from participating in German cultural institutions. This call to action is in response to what the petition deems as “McCarthyist practices” that censor the freedom of expression, particularly in regards to showing support for Palestine. As a result, two filmmakers have declared their withdrawal from the Berlinale.
Both Nyong’o and Petzold have both signed open letters in the past few months advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. When asked if they were surprised by the Berlinale, known for its political stance, not taking a stronger position on the conflict, Petzold chose not to respond. He stated that the jury’s role is not to discuss Palestine, Ukraine, or the AfD, but to discuss films which inherently have political elements. He expressed a desire to attend a non-political film festival in the future.
Source: theguardian.com
