Berlin 2024: Press conference dominated by talk of Germany’s far-right
At the opening press conference of the Berlin Film Festival on February 15th, conversation was dominated by the German far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), who were invited then disinvited from the opening gala.
As the film festival is a publicly funded cultural event, the local legislature in Berlin states that members of all political parties should be invited. Since 2017, members of the AfD have been present at the opening gala, but due to rising far-right protests in Germany and allegations AfD members met with neo-Nazis to discuss a mass deportation scheme, their presence is no longer welcome.
The decision to withdraw the invitation was made after an open letter was signed by more than 200 figures who largely worked in the German industry, they claimed the AfD’s presence was “incompatible” with the ethics of the Berlin International Film Festival.
Now, at the jury press conference, a panel comprising of Lupita Nyongo’o, Brady Corbet Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca, and Oksana Zabuzhko, discussed the AfD and their lack of presence at the festival.
When asked about the matter, Nyongo’o said: “I’m a foreigner here. I don’t know the ins and outs of the political situation here. I’m glad I don’t have to answer that question. I’m glad I don’t have to be in that position.”
Meanwhile, German director Petzold told those in attendance: “All these questions make them [the AfD] stronger than they are. We’ve been discussing this for days. There are hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating against them and they are more important than this kind of discussion.”
Petzold continued: “I don’t think it’s a problem to have five AfD members in the audience. We’re not cowards. If we can’t stand to have five people of the AfD in the audience we will lose our fight….”
Spanish director Serra was also asked to explain positive comments that he allegedly made during a 2018 interview about Vladimir Putin. He replied: “I don’t know. This is a political question. Everyone is upset with Russia right now. I think politics is more complex than saying someone is a good person or a bad person. You say Trump is a bad person. What changes? It’s just a statement.”
Furthermore, Berlin Film Festival has been scrutinised for its stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. In an open letter, 30 staff members demanded an “immediate ceasefire” and revealed their intentions to “hold the festival and ourselves to a higher standard”.
Berlin Film Festival begins with a screening of Small Things Like These on February 15th. The film, directed by Tim Mielants, stars Cillian Murphy in his first role since Oppenheimer.
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