Over 80 Artists Urge Berlinale to Take Stance on Gaza Genocide
Photo: EFE.
February 18, 2026 Hour: 11:15 pm
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Over 80 actors, directors, and artists have signed an open letter urging the Berlin International Film Festival to denounce Israel’s actions in Gaza, criticizing the festival’s silence on Human Rights violations.
More than 80 actors, directors, and artists who have historically participated in the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) have signed an open letter addressed to the event’s organizers.
The letter which includes the signatories of renowned figures such as Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem- published on in the trade magazine Variety, calls on the Berlinale to take a clear stance on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
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The document demands that the festival fulfill its moral obligation and clearly express its opposition to Israel’s genocide, as well as the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against the Palestinian people. In this sense, the artists expressed their dismay at the Berlinale’s institutional silence about that.
According to the letter, the organizers have failed to comply with previous demands to issue a statement affirming the Palestinians’ right to life and defending the artists’ right to speak out on the issue. “This is the very least the festival can and should do”, the signatories stated.
The Berlin Film Festival is considered the most political of its peers, Venice and Cannes, and prides itself on showcasing films from underrepresented communities. However, it has been repeatedly criticized by pro-Palestinian activists for not taking a stance on Gaza, in contrast to its position on other geopolitical conflicts.
Last year, more than 5,000 actors, artists, and producers, including some Hollywood stars, signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions deemed complicit in the abuses against Palestine, pledge that was condemned by Paramount Pictures.
“We hope that the institutions of our industry will refuse to be complicit in the terrible violence that continues to be exerted against the Palestinian people”,
The letter arrives in the middle of the festival’s edition and after jury chairman, the German Director Wim Wenders, declared at the inaugural press conference that “they should stay out of politics”, having been asked about Gaza and the support of the German government, main funder of the contest, to Israel.
At the moment, Berlinale has not responded officially to requests for comment.
Author: HGV - LVM
Source: Agencies
