At the same press conference, he had said that films had the power to \u201cchange the world\u201d but in a different way from politics. But his comments in response to the question on Israel prompted a storm of outrage.<\/p>\n
Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who had been due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, pulled out of the event, branding Wenders\u2019 words \u201cunconscionable\u201d and \u201cjaw-dropping.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, an open letter<\/a> signed by dozens of film industry figures, including actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton and director Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin festival\u2019s \u201csilence\u201d on the \u201cgenocide of Palestinians,\u201d\u00a0and accused it of being involved in \u201ccensoring\u201d artists who oppose Israel\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition \t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Israel bitterly denies allegations of genocide. It has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza\u2019s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.<\/p>\n \t Director Tricia Tuttle, in her second year at the helm of the Berlinale, has firmly rejected the accusations, describing some of the claims in the letter as \u201cmisinformation\u201d and \u201cinaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on Saturday at the awards ceremony for prizes from the festival\u2019s Independent Juries, Tuttle described the past 10 days as \u201cstormy seas.\u201d<\/p>\n Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, whose film \u201cMoscas\u201d (Flies) is in official competition, used the occasion to protest civilian deaths in Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 17,000 kids have been killed in Gaza in the last two years,\u201d he said, citing Hamas health ministry data, which is unable to be verified and does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.<\/p>\n \u201cI should raise my voice and I ask all the governments and organizations to raise their voices too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t He also referenced the arrest of a five-year-old Ecuadorian boy by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which sparked widespread outrage.<\/p>\n \u201cICE should stop persecuting and terrifying kids like Liam Conejo Ramos \u2014 ICE out!\u201d Eimbcke said.<\/p>\n Later on Saturday, prizes will be awarded by the main International Jury, including the coveted Golden Bear for best film.<\/p>\n Among the standout entries in the official competition was \u201cWe Are All Strangers\u201d by Anthony Chen.<\/p>\n Set in Chen\u2019s native Singapore, the film is a moving family drama which playfully satirizes the yawning social disparities to be found in the city-state\u2019s glittering skyscrapers.<\/p>\n German actress Sandra Hueller, who gained international acclaim for her roles in \u201cThe Zone of Interest\u201d and \u201cAnatomy of a Fall\u201d, received audience plaudits for her turn as the title character in \u201cRose\u201d by Austrian director Markus Schleinzer.<\/p>\n The black-and-white drama tells the story of a woman passing herself off as a man in rural 17th-century Germany to escape the constraints of patriarchy.<\/p>\n \t Repression in Iran<\/p>\n Juliette Binoche, playing a woman caring for her mother with dementia, also moved cinema-goers in \u201cQueen at Sea\u201d by American director Lance Hammer, who had not made a feature film since 2008.<\/p>\n The film sensitively portrays the devastation Alzheimer\u2019s disease inflicts on a patient\u2019s loved ones.<\/p>\n The first major event of the film calendar also provided a platform for Iranian filmmakers to address the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in their home country.<\/p>\n Director Mahnaz Mohammadi, who has spent time in Tehran\u2019s notorious Evin prison, presented \u201cRoya,\u201d a searing portrayal of conditions in the jail and the traces they leave on prisoners\u2019 psyches.<\/p>\n Dissident director Jafar Panahi, who won the Cannes Palme d\u2019Or for \u201cIt Was Just An Accident,\u201d also spoke at the Berlinale to denounce the Iranian government\u2019s repression of protestors, which international organizations say has left thousands, or tens of thousands, dead.<\/p>\n \u201cAn unbelievable crime has happened. Mass murder has happened. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones,\u201d Panahi told a talk organized as part of the festival.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople do not want violence. They avoid violence. It is the regime that forces violence upon them,\u201d Panahi said.<\/p>\n In December, he was sentenced to one year in prison and a travel ban in Iran, but has expressed his intention to return nevertheless.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tJury President, German director Wim Wenders (L) and his wife Donata Wenders arrive on the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe\u2019s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. The 76th Berlin Film Festival draws to a close after 10 days, with 22 films in competition. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260221__98GE9X9__v1__HighRes__776459202-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFilmmakers hold a Palestinian flag as they arrive at the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe\u2019s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260221__98GG9PB__v1__HighRes__776459202-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFans wait in the rain near the red carpet for the Award Ceremony of the 76th Berlinale, Europe\u2019s first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 21, 2026. (John MACDOUGALL \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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