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Berlin film festival responds after critics question guests’ reluctance to tackle politics
The Berlin Film Festival issued a measured response after a wave of criticism over how some guests handled political questions during early press events. Festival director Tricia Tuttle pushed back against the idea that actors and jurors must deliver instant geopolitical verdicts every time a microphone appears.
What set off the debate was a remark from jury president Wim Wenders about cinema’s relationship to politics, followed by several high-profile refusals to answer certain questions on Feb. 12–13, 2026. Michelle Yeoh and Neil Patrick Harris were among those who demurred, and the reactions — both in the press and on social media — forced organisers to set out their position in a formal statement.
Art versus on-the-spot punditry
Organisers framed the dispute as a clash between two expectations: the artistic role of filmmakers and the media’s appetite for immediate commentary. Tuttle argued that demanding snap geopolitical analysis risks turning artists into unpaid diplomats and flattening nuanced positions into bite-size quotes. Films speak in different registers — through images, stories and sometimes silence — and she urged respect for those varied modes of engagement.
The response followed a visible backlash after the opening press conference, where Wenders suggested filmmakers often occupy a different public space than politicians. Some commentators found that stance evasive; writer Arundhati Roy went so far as to cancel her appearance in protest, which amplified the criticism and prompted the festival’s reply. Tuttle described the episode as part of a broader “media storm,” warning that short clips and headlines can easily strip context from complex conversations.
Defending artistic autonomy while acknowledging responsibility
Tuttle reminded audiences that this year’s Berlinale presents a slate of 278 films tackling subjects such as genocide, sexual violence, corruption and state power. Many contributors speak from personal experience — exile, repression, trauma — and use cinema as testimony. Others prioritize preserving spaces for difficult, contested work to be shown and debated without being reduced to Twitter-ready soundbites.
She framed her remarks as a defence of artistic autonomy, while acknowledging that calls for free expression at the festival are legitimate. Her critique was aimed at press culture’s hunger for immediate, digestible reactions — a dynamic that penalises artists whether they decline to answer or give responses that don’t match public expectations. Tuttle also distinguished between politics with a small “p” — everyday power and visibility — and Politics with a capital “P” — state institutions and policy — and said both are valid lenses for filmmakers.
Film as a different kind of public intervention
Festival organisers argued the Berlinale should make room for a spectrum of creative intentions instead of policing a single model of public engagement. Films can provoke, unsettle and deepen debate in ways that a quick answer cannot. That responsibility, Tuttle said, extends beyond filmmakers: programmers, critics and the media share a duty to let conversations develop beyond the headline cycle.
She pointed to entries that confront atrocity head-on alongside quieter works that carry political weight through intimate portraits of marginalised lives. Together, those approaches widen public conversation; they should not be eclipsed by demands for media-friendly statements.
Reactions and what might change
Responses to Tuttle’s defence were mixed. Some public figures and critics supported the idea that artists should not be compelled into instant pronouncements, warning that such pressure privileges form over substance. Others countered that major platforms carry an ethical obligation to answer pressing human-rights questions when they arise.
The Berlin Film Festival issued a measured response after a wave of criticism over how some guests handled political questions during early press events. Festival director Tricia Tuttle pushed back against the idea that actors and jurors must deliver instant geopolitical verdicts every time a microphone appears.0
Looking ahead
The Berlin Film Festival issued a measured response after a wave of criticism over how some guests handled political questions during early press events. Festival director Tricia Tuttle pushed back against the idea that actors and jurors must deliver instant geopolitical verdicts every time a microphone appears.1