Germany’s Minister of Culture has called a meeting on Thursday to discuss the direction of the Berlin Festival in the wake of a German political backlash against pro-Palestinian speeches at the closing ceremony on Saturday.
Conservative tabloid newspaper Bild reported the ministry had confirmed an extraordinary meeting called by German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer to discuss festival director Tricia Tuttle’s future in the role.
Bild even went as far to suggest that Tuttle, who is currently two years into a five mandate, would be fired.
Contacted by Deadline for comment, the Berlinale confirmed it had been informed of the meeting by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).
It also forwarded the message, which read: “BKM confirms that on Thursday morning there will be an extraordinary meeting of the Supervisory Board of KBB GmbH at the initiative of State Minister Wolfram Weimer. Weimer is the Chair of the Supervisory Board. The meeting will include a discussion on the future direction of the Berlinale. We will not comment on any further speculation.”
German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walked out of Saturday night’s ceremony after Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, whose film Chronicles From The Siege won the top prize in the Perspectives section, accused the German government of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel”.
Al-Khatib who was among several filmmakers who spoke out against Israel’s military action in Gaza alongside Marie-Rose Osta, whose portrait of a boy coping with war Someday a Child won the Golden Bear for best short film; shorts jury member Ameer Fakher Eldin; best screenplay winner Geneviève Dulude-de Celles (Nina Roza) and Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Emin Alper (Salvation).
Bild, which has an openly pro-Israel editorial line, had previously taken a potshot at Tuttle on Tuesday in a column by right-wing journalist Gunnar Schupelius, who accused the festival director of having “posed for Gaza propaganda” in relation to a photograph of her at the Chronicles From The Siege world premiere.
Schupelius took umbrage at the fact that she was shown standing beside the Palestinian cast and crew as they wore the traditional Palestinian headscarf, or keffiyeh, and were holding a Palestinian flag.
There is a growing sense in the wider film industry and festival scene that Tuttle has been in an impossible position, even though she has worked hard to foster open and respectful debate and been scrupulous in showing empathy to all attendees.
Aside from welcoming Palestinian filmmakers, Tuttle also took time out of this year’s Berlinale to attend a special screening on the fringes of the festival for A Letter To David – The Complete Version.
The film is a recut version of Tom Shoval’s film A Letter to David, paying to tribute his friend David Cunio who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, which screened at the Berlinale last year, updated to celebrate the fact he has since been freed.
Ironically, the fresh controversy follows a tumultuous 76th edition with Tuttle, jury president Wim Wenders and the wider festival staff weathering criticism of the event’s perceived lack of public solidarity for Palestinians, which included a high-profile petition condemning its silence.
In an interview with Deadline midway through the festival on February 16, Tuttle gave a mixed response when questioned on whether she intended to stay the course of her five-year mandate in wake of the political heat.
“Let’s wait and see. I think so. I mean, I plan on it. I’ve started a project. I think that we have to make sure that the festival is sustainable, and the kinds of discourse that there have been over the last couple of days definitely make us weaker and not stronger,” she said.
The Berlinale has been caught repeatedly in the crosshairs of the polarised global debate around the Israel-Gaza War, sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 73,600 in Gaza and left three-quarters of its 2.1 million strong population living in tents.
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Israel’s military action in Gaza concluded that Israel was committing genocide in a report released last September. The country has said accusations of genocide are “baseless” because the country is not acting with “intent.
Germany maintains a staunchly pro-Israel stance due to its foreign and domestic state policy rooted in the country’s responsibility for the Holocaust in which six million Jewish people died.
Prior to Tuttle’s arrival in the role of Berlinale director, the closing ceremony of the 2024 edition was also mired in controversy related to the Israel-Palestine conflict after the co-directors of Best Documentary winner No Other Land, used their acceptance speech to criticise Israel, with Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham accusing his country of apartheid.
Tuttle was seen as having successfully calmed the waters, through mediation and discussion behind the scenes, as well as a carefully thought through set of guidelines on the festival’s position on freedom of expression, antisemitism and support for Palestinians but after a more tranquil 2025 edition, 2026 has proved otherwise.
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