Arundhati Roy Withdraws from Berlin Film Festival Over Wim Wenders' 'Apolitical' Comments
The celebrated author Arundhati Roy has made a dramatic exit from the Berlin International Film Festival, following controversial remarks by jury president Wim Wenders that filmmakers must "stay out of politics." Roy, who was scheduled to attend a screening of her restored 1989 film In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, called Wenders' comments "unconscionable" and expressed deep concern that they had reached millions globally.
Wenders' Controversial Stance on Political Art
The festival opened on a contentious note when the competition jury, led by acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders, faced questions about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. When asked whether films could influence political change, Wenders asserted that "movies can change the world" but "not in a political way." He elaborated that filmmakers must avoid politics, positioning art as "the counterweight of politics" and emphasizing the need to focus on "the work of people, not the work of politicians."
In a strongly worded statement announcing her withdrawal, Roy expressed profound dismay at these views. "To hear them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping," she stated. "It is a way of shutting down a conversation about a crime against humanity even as it unfolds before us in real time – when artists, writers and film-makers should be doing everything in their power to stop it."
Roy's Condemnation of Gaza Conflict and German Stance
Roy, recently shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction for her memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me, emphasized her belief that "what has happened in Gaza, what continues to happen, is a genocide of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel." She criticized the German government and cultural institutions for their positions on Palestine, noting that while she has received solidarity from German audiences, official support for Israel makes Germany "complicit in the crime."
"If the greatest film-makers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them," Roy declared. "I am shocked and disgusted." Despite her withdrawal, she reflected fondly on her film, describing it as "a whimsical film that I wrote 38 years ago" with "something sweet and wonderful" about it.
Berlinale Jury's Response to Political Questions
The jury, which includes notable figures such as American director-producer Reinaldo Marcus Green, Japanese filmmaker Hikari, and Oscar-winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska, faced further scrutiny over the German government's funding of the festival and its support for Israel. Puszczyńska described the questioning as "complicated" and "a bit unfair," arguing that while art can provoke thought, filmmakers cannot be responsible for viewers' political decisions.
"There are many other wars where genocide is committed and we do not talk about that," she added, highlighting the selective nature of political discourse in the arts. This incident underscores the ongoing tension between artistic expression and political engagement in global cultural events, with Roy's withdrawal serving as a powerful statement against the silencing of political voices in art.
