The Berlin Film Festival is mired in fresh Israel-Gaza War controversy following a pro-Palestinian speech by Hong Kong filmmaker Jun Li over the weekend, which has prompted a police investigation and calls from one prominent politician for the festival to be defunded.
Speaking at the premiere of his film Queerpanorama in the Panorama section on Saturday, Jun Li read out a speech on behalf of its star actor Erfan Shekarriz, who has boycotted the festival this year in protest at his perception that it is not supportive of Palestinians.
In the speech read by Jun Li, the actor referred to Israel as “a brutal colonial settler state funded by the West” and accused the German administration and its cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, of being complicit in “apartheid, genocide, brutal killing and erasure of the Palestinian people.”
He was heckled from the floor from some members of the audience who shouted out: “No genocide. Free Palestine from Hamas!” and “Is China democratic?”.
The director finished the speech with the phrase “from the river to the sea”, which is interpreted by some as calling for the end of Israel and has been regarded as antisemitic. By others, the phrase is understood as a call for Palestinians to be able to live equally in the territory. Its use is punishable by law in Germany if the implication is the destruction of Israel.
The Berlinale has acknowledged and detailed the incident in a statement sent to Deadline, emphasizing the fact that it has worked hard to make the Berlinale “an inclusive and non-discriminatory environment” this edition, under the new directorship of Tricia Tuttle.
“On Saturday, February 15th, the Berlinale team deescalated the situation on site at the event, acknowledged the harm that it has caused to people in the room, and clearly addressed our stance against antisemitism and any other form of discrimination,” it said.
“The team is now managing also the further processes in accordance with our prepared protocol. We hope that this single case will not overshadow what has been a great 75th Berlinale so far, with so much good work and deep care done by the entire team.
The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation has confirmed to us that it is investigating Jun Li’s use of the phrase, in relation to section 86a of the German criminal code prohibiting the use of symbols of unconstitutional groups, in particular, flags, insignia, uniforms, slogans and forms of greeting. The phrase “From the river to the sea” can be associated with Hamas, which is banned in Germany.
The Berlinale said it would cooperate with the investigation.
In spite of the festival’s proactive approach, the incident has stoked debate around the Berlinale’s management of anti-Israeli statements by attendees, while the Berlinale said footage posted on social networks by third parties had also “enflamed dialogue”.
Berlin-based politician Dirk Stettner, leader of the center-right CDU parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, accused the Berlinale of being a platform for anti-Israel sentiment and called on the city to withdraw the festival’s €2M annual funding.
“I don’t need self-congratulation by semi or full-on anti-Semites with applause from the audience under the cloak of freedom of art and opinion in Berlin, and it shouldn’t receive a cent of Berlin money either.” he said in an interview with German tabloid B.Z. on Monday, accompanied by a photo of him ceremoniously tearing up his closing night invite.
The city’s mayor Kai Wegner also waded into the debate on Twitter. He voiced support for Tuttle but said it was “unbearable that there have been more anti-Semitic incidents at the Berlinale, which cast a shadow over the film festival as a whole.”
Like many film festivals since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people, the Berlinale has found itself in eye of the storm of polarized views over Israel’s military response in the Gaza Strip, which has killed 46,000 people, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run health authorities.
This new row follows attempts by Tuttle and her team to head-off a repeat of last year’s 2024 edition in which opposing views over the Israel-Palestine conflict spilled into the closing night, with winners and jury members criticizing Israel’s military campaign, sparking accusations of antisemitism by local politicians.
As part of this drive, the Berlinale posted a Q&A on the eve of its 75th edition laying out its stance on freedom of speech, antisemitism and support for Palestine, and calling for “respectful dialogue and a certain cultural sensitivity”.
It also raised a red flag over the use of certain language in relationship to the Middle East conflict, singling out the phrase, “from the river to the sea”, noting its use could be prosecuted by law, as well as language related to the Holocaust.
The opening night of the Berlinale saw Tuttle join with German actors in a red carpet a vigil for Israeli actor David Cunio who was abducted by Hamas and is the subject of a movie in the lineup. Later that evening Tilda Swinton gave an impassioned speech in which she decried “internationally enabled mass murder”.
In its new statement, the festival said it remained committed to freedom of speech but reiterated its call for “respectful dialogue”.
“The overwhelming majority of our guests have honoured our calls to create a better, more health and respectful discussion environment. This was not the case on Saturday, and on this occasion our audiences also joined the conversation and made their voices heard, which we fully support,” said the festival.
