Over 80 film workers slam Berlin festival’s silence on Israel’s Gaza war

Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem among actors and directors expressing dismay at Berlinale’s ‘anti-Palestinian racism’ and silence on Israel’s genocidal war.Published On 18 Feb 2026Dozens of actors and directors, including Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, have condemned the Berlin International Film Festival for its “anti-Palestinian racism” and urged organisers to clearly state their opposition to “Israel’s genocide” in Gaza.In an open letter published in Variety on Tuesday, the 81 film workers also denounced comments by this year’s president of the awards jury, Wim Wenders, who – when asked about Gaza – said, “We should stay out of politics.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Arundhati Roy ‘shocked’ by jury’s Gaza remarks, quits Berlin film festivallist 2 of 4Over 100 artists for Palestine back UN’s Albanese after resignation callslist 3 of 4UN staffers back Francesca Albanese, condemn European ministers for attackslist 4 of 4UK decision to ban Palestine Action as ‘terror group’ unlawful, court saysend of listThey noted that the festival’s stance stands in direct contrast to its policy on Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the situation in Iran.All of the signatories are alumni of the festival, which is also known as the Berlinale, and include actors Cherien Dabis and Brian Cox, as well as directors Adam McKay, Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, and Avi Mograbi.In their letter, the film workers expressed dismay at the Berlinale’s “involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza” and the German government’s key role in enabling the atrocities.They said the festival has been policing filmmakers , and listed several examples from last year’s Berlinale.“Last year, filmmakers who spoke out for Palestinian life and liberty from the Berlinale stage reported being aggressively reprimanded by senior festival programmers. One filmmaker was reported to have been investigated by police, and Berlinale leadership falsely implied that the filmmaker’s moving speech – rooted in international law and solidarity – was ‘discriminatory’, ‘ they wrote.