Feb 19, 2026 3:47pm IST
After Arundhati Roy Quit Berlinale, Other Celebs — Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo And More Also Condemn Jury President Wim Wenders’ Gaza Remarks In An Open Letter
The Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is back in the headlines, this time after many current and past participants and artists signed an open letter to the festival condemning the management’s silence on the Gaza conflict and alleging censorship of artists who have spoken out against it. This comes right after Arundhati Roy decided to quit the festival.
As per Variety, the signatories include actors Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan and Tobias Menzies, as well as directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, Miguel Gomes, Adam McKay and Avi Mograbi. Additional names who joined the movement after the letter’s release include Mark Ruffalo, Ken Loach and “Zone of Interest” producer James Wilson.
Related Stories
The original letter, released on February 17, stated that the signatories “expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians.”
The letter arrives in the midst of the Berlinale 2026, where politics has become a central theme. Comments made by jury president Wim Wenders also drew criticism during the opening press conference. When asked about the Gaza conflict and Israel’s involvement through funding, he said, “We should stay out of politics,” and claimed that filmmaking was “the opposite of politics.” The backlash that followed prompted festival head Tricia Tuttle to issue a statement saying, “Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control.”
The open letter explicitly condemns Wenders’ remarks. “We fervently disagree with the statement made by Berlinale 2026 jury president Wim Wenders that filmmaking is ‘the opposite of politics,’” one excerpt reads.
“We call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel’s genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians, and to completely end its involvement in shielding Israel from criticism and calls for accountability,” the letter concludes.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.