Bae Doona, from left, and Jury president Wim Wenders attend the press conference for the Jury of the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, February 12, 2026. SCOTT A GARFITT / SCOTT A GARFITT/INVISION/AP
More than 80 film industry figures, including Oscar-winning actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, issued a statement on Tuesday, February 17, slamming the Berlin Film Festival's "silence" on Gaza. The signatories to the open letter, sent to Agence France-Presse, said they were "appalled" by the festival's "institutional silence" and "dismayed" at its "involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza."
Their statement came after the Berlinale's jury president, German director Wim Wenders, answered a question on Gaza last week by saying: "We cannot really enter the field of politics."
Prominent directors who signed Tuesday's letter, coordinated by the Film Workers for Palestine collective, include British filmmaker Mike Leigh and the American Adam McKay. The signatories include many artists who have presented work at the Berlin Film Festival. Swinton was herself last year awarded the prestigious Honorary Golden Bear award.
