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Berlin festival to screen Israeli hostage film after ‘anti-Semitism’ allegations last year

Berlin festival to screen Israeli hostage film after ‘anti-Semitism’ allegations last year

The Berlin awards ceremony last year saw several filmmakers criticise Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
22 Jan, 2025

The Berlin Film Festival is set to screen a documentary about an Israeli actor taken hostage by Hamas, organisers said Tuesday, as it looks to move on from a row about alleged anti-Semitism at last year’s edition.

The documentary called A Letter to David by Israeli director Tom Shoval recalls his friendship and work with David Cunio who was abducted from his home in a Kibbutz on October 7, 2023.

The film is a “tender and deeply personal lament” from Shoval, programming co-director Michael Stutz told reporters at a press conference ahead of the February 13-23 festival.

Cunio’s fate remains unknown, with hopes raised by a recent ceasefire agreement that will see Hamas return its captives and Israel release Palestinians from jail.

The Berlin awards ceremony last year saw several filmmakers criticise Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has now killed around 47,000 people and wounded 110,000, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of committing “genocide” with its bombardment of the densely populated territory.

Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra said the local population was being “massacred” by Israel, to applause from the audience.

A spokeswoman for the German government, a staunch ally of Israel, said it was “unacceptable” that the Hamas attack on Israel which triggered the war had not been mentioned at the ceremony.

Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner called the remarks “unacceptable” and said that there was “no place for anti-Semitism in Berlin”.

Wegner also said that he expected new festival director Tricia Tuttle to “ensure such incidents do not happen again”.

‘Open dialogue’

Tuttle said last month that the furore had put some film directors off the festival because of free speech concerns.

“Lots of filmmakers from Arab countries have approached us as well over the last weeks, just to make sure the festival is a space for open dialogue and discourse,” she added on Tuesday.

“Where we can, we like to have individual conversations, and we’d encourage filmmakers to come to us to talk to us about this.”

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, famed for his 2019 prize-winner Parasite, is set to present his new film Mickey 17 out of competition in Berlin.

The festival has also announced that it will give a lifetime achievement award to British actor Tilda Swinton, who has collaborated with Bong in the past.

Tuttle unveiled the full lineup of films for its main competition, which includes work from American director Richard Linklater, South Korea’s Hong Sangsoo, Mexico’s Michel Franco and Radu Jude from Romania.

Linklater is returning for the first time since 2014 when he won a director’s silver bear, the second-highest award, for his epic *Boyhood“ that was filmed over more than a decade.

Comments

Tahmad Jan 22, 2025 12:31pm
Peace between Israel and Palestine should be respected by all countries. Let’s say Yes to peace and No to war.
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Laila Jan 22, 2025 01:06pm
Its a film/documentary festival. So let it be that. Let the work speak for itself. Don't politicize everything. The entire world is already having this specific conversation for the past 16 months. Maybe it's time to let festivals be a display of work from different countries, which would not ordinarily make it into commercial cinema. Otherwise also talk about the atrocities, displacements and genocides taking place in other countries. 35 million displaced in Africa. Clearly those lives don't matter. Most people are blissfully ignorant of what's going on in Rwanda, Sudan, Myanmar. That doesn't mean the films can't be important contributions to highlight issues and have conversations and show solidarity. Either the festival is open to all or to none. The German government should not interfere unless the festival is government funded.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Jan 22, 2025 01:26pm
Germans must not forget what Hitler and his Nazi party cronies did during WW II with all minorities including Jews. However, please remember the centuries old axiom, "past can't be changed but future is yet in your hands."
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M. Emad Jan 23, 2025 03:21am
Very Good Decision.
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