Todd Haynes, his Berlinale international jury and festival director Tricia Tuttle tackled US president Donald Trump and the rise of far right politics around the world, in the opening press conference of the festival’s 75th edition.
Haynes acknowledged that “we’re in a state of particular crisis right now, in the US but also globally. Everyone I know in the US and friends abroad are witnessing this barrage of actions in the first three weeks of the Trump administration with tremendous concern, shock. I think that’s been part of the strategy.”
Despite this, Haynes said he has “an optimistic feeling” by being in Berlin, “and defiance in embracing this festival.”
The jurors were asked about engaging with political topics in the context of last year’s festival, which drew criticism for its handling of shows of solidarity with Gaza but also lack of representation of the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
“[The jury] is going to be a superb experience for all of us,” said Haynes. “That’s not to say that this festival has always had a strength of conviction and an openness to challenging and political discourse.
“What’s happening in the world right now has put an extra urgency to all of that. That’s something this festival and this city, which has withstood more challenges and unbelievable history that it has recuperated from time and again - that puts the site really in the crosshairs of the moment that we’re in.”
Haynes’ fellow juror, German director and actress Maria Schrader, spoke calmly and confidently about her willingness to engage with political debate – in contrast to last year’s tense opening conference where several jurors shyed away from politics. “Fear is not a good accompanying thing,” said Schrader. “I don’t want to fear anything. I want to celebrate these particular spaces which are spaces for culture and the imaginary world
“There are rooms where a question can be asked, controversy can start, we don’t need to come up with blunt answers, we can ask questions.
“The more binary our thinking, the more extreme our thinking, our discussions become, the more we head towards escalation. That is what happened last year This is a political process, and that’s what the beautiful political aspect of a film festival is.”
Tuttle’s opening day
Hosting the conference on the opening day of her first Berlinale as festival director, Tuttle joked that the snow in central Berlin overnight “is a good omen”.
She backed up the comments from the jury about the political role of the festival, describing it as “a rejection and an act of resistance to all of the perverse ideas that many far right parties across Europe and the whole world are spreading.
“This is a space where we want to come together and listen to each other and communicate through cinema,” said Tuttle. “We all celebrate and value very deeply the pluralistic ideas that are behind major international film festivals. The very fact we’re all here is a resistance and an important one.”
“Conversations are complex; if we stop talking to each other, and talking around cinema, that’s when things are really scary,” continued Tuttle. “We shouldn’t be scared of the fact that the world is a troubled place; we’re going to do it with a lot of love and care.”
Schrader, a leading light in the German industry, backed up the words of Tom Tykwer, director of tonight’s opening film The Light, in describing Tuttle as “a gift for Germany and for this festival.”
Asked about what her first word of German had been, Tuttle said it was ‘gemütlich’ (English translation: cozy), which she thought was fitting for the Berlinale.
“The kind of warmth I felt from this festival is really inclusive – everybody gets invited to the parties, the screenings,” said Tuttle. “It’s not a bubble; we’re not locking out the outside world, we’re inviting people to come into this space.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of The Light as a Berlinale Special title this evening.
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