BERLIN: Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy has announced her withdrawal from the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), citing “unconscionable statements” by jury members regarding Israel’s war in Gaza.
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Roy, writing in India’s The Wire, expressed shock over remarks by the festival jury, including its chair, acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders, who stated that “art should not be political.” Roy called such comments “jaw-dropping” and said they amounted to shutting down conversation about what she described as “a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel.”
Indian writer Arundhati Roy says she was cancelling her planned participation in the Berlin Film Festival over comments from jury president Wim Wenders that the festival had to “stay out of politics” in response to a question on Gaza.
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Roy accused the governments of United States, Germany, and several European countries of complicity in the conflict through financial and military support. She urged artists, writers, and filmmakers to use their platforms to oppose the war and stop what she called atrocities in Gaza.
During a festival panel, journalists asked the jury about Germany’s support for Israel and its “selective treatment of human rights” issues. Wenders responded that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics” and described their role as a “counterweight to politics,” serving the people rather than politicians. Jury member Ewa Puszczynska added that filmmakers “cannot be responsible” for government actions, pointing out that many conflicts worldwide receive little attention.
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Roy had been scheduled to participate in the festival from February 12 to 22, with her 1989 film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones selected for screening in the Classics section. Her withdrawal highlights ongoing tensions over freedom of expression in German-funded cultural institutions, which activists say surveil artists’ public support for Palestine.
The move by Roy underscores the growing debate over the role of art in political discourse and the responsibilities of cultural institutions during international conflicts.