Uproar at Berlinale Gala: Minister Schneider Leaves Hall After Director's Accusations

Saturday's award ceremony for the 76th Berlinale, instead of being a celebration of cinema, became the stage for a fierce ideological dispute. The central point of controversy was the speech by Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Alkhatib. While receiving the prestigious award for best directorial debut for his film "Chronicles From the Siege", the creator appeared on stage wearing a traditional keffiyeh, holding a Palestinian flag. In his speech, he directly accused the German federal government of being a partner in the "genocide in Gaza". These words were met with a reaction from Minister Carsten Schneider, who was in the audience and left the hall in a gesture of protest. Although the politician later emphasized that he was attending the event privately, his departure was interpreted as an official signal of disapproval towards the politicization of the festival. Since 1951, the Berlinale has positioned itself as the most politically engaged festival of the so-called "Big Three" (alongside Cannes and Venice). Historically, the event has often served as a platform for dissidents, and jury selections have frequently reflected current geopolitical unrest, though this has rarely led to such stark conflicts with the German government. „The German federal government is a partner in the genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza.” — Abdallah Alkhatib The events on stage sparked a wave of outrage among commentators, who pointed to the one-sidedness of the message and the complete lack of any reference to the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. The festival's artistic director, Tricia Tuttle, came under strong pressure, trying to balance artistic freedom with accusations of allowing anti-Israeli rhetoric. Although Tuttle admitted that the festival is navigating a "stormy sea", in official statements she defended the artists' freedom of speech, while simultaneously emphasizing that the festival does not identify with their private political opinions. In the shadow of the scandal, the Golden Bear was received by İlker Çatak for his film "Yellow Letters", which deals with censorship in an authoritarian system. 50 000 — euro received by Alkhatib along with the debut award This situation deepened the image crisis of the Berlinale, which had already been criticized earlier for awkward attempts to avoid political debates during the screenings. Critics note that the closing gala exposed the organizers' helplessness against the use of the prestigious forum for radical manifestos, which may in the future affect the festival's public funding.