Tilda Swinton among those to sign petition supporting Tricia Tuttle, who reportedly faces sack after pro-Palestine speeches at gala
Prominent directors and actors have rallied in support of the American head of the Berlin film festival in response to reports she could be sacked over comments by award-winners criticising the war in Gaza and the German government’s support for Israel.
Germany’s federal government commissioner for culture and media, Wolfram Weimer, convened a crisis meeting on Thursday on the “future direction of the Berlinale”, which is among Europe’s top three cinema showcases with Cannes and Venice.
Weimer’s office said after the talks that “discussions about the direction of the Berlinale will continue in the coming days” between the festival chief, Tricia Tuttle, and the event’s supervisory board.
The newspaper Bild had reported that Thursday’s meeting could result in the firing of Tuttle, the US director of the festival since 2024, after controversy over pro-Palestinian speeches at Saturday’s closing gala, one of which criticised Germany as “partners in the genocide”.
