Indian author Arundhati Roy quits Berlinale after ‘stay out of politics’ Gaza comments

Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy has said she is withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders’ comments that cinema should “stay out of politics” when asked about Gaza.Roy said in a statement on Friday that she was “shocked and disgusted” by responses from Wenders and other jury members to a question about the Palestinian territory at a press conference the day before.Roy, whose novel The God of Small Things won the 1997 Booker Prize, had been announced as a festival guest to present a restored version of the 1989 film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, in which she starred and wrote the screenplay.However, she said that the “unconscionable” statements by Wenders and other jury members had led her to reconsider, “with deep regret”.When asked about Germany’s support for Israel at Thursday’s press conference, Wenders said: “We cannot really enter the field of politics”, describing filmmakers as “the counterweight to politics”.Jury President Wim Wenders attends the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival on Thursday. Photo: ReutersFellow jury member Ewa Puszczynska said it was a “little bit unfair” to expect the jury to take a direct stance on the issue.