Three Powerful Anti-Racism Protests Shake the Internationally Renowned Berlin Film Festival
The Berlin Film Festival, scheduled to take place from February 15 to 25, is already making headlines with significant disruptions. Kicking off with a lively press conference, the festival took on a more politically charged atmosphere as three distinct protest groups gathered at Potsdamer Platz ahead of the opening night events. This unexpected turn of events is setting the stage for a festival that goes beyond the silver screen, becoming a platform for crucial social discussions. Explore the details below.
In the first protest, around 50 people from the film industry walked hand in hand on the red carpet.
The demonstrators later shouted, 'defend democracy!' while flashing their cellphone lights, and the same words were displayed on the Palast's big screen.
The music on the red carpet was turned off for a special occasion, and the protesters wore badges with the inscription "films unite, hate divides."
Berlinale organizers had planned this demonstration to emphasize their decision not to invite members of the far-right political party AfD. Among the protesters were Jonathan Berlin, Meret Becker, Luisa Gaffron, Pegah Ferydoni, Roshanak Khodabakhsh, Anne Leppin, Jannis Niewöhner, Murali Perumal, Katja Riemann, Lavinia Wilson, and Jessica Schwarz.
Berlinale is considered one of the top three film festivals globally, alongside Cannes and Venice.
The organizers positioned themselves clearly against right-wing extremism in Germany by choosing not to invite AfD. On the opening night, Berlinale invited a group of filmmakers to the red carpet in the spirit of democracy, diversity, and peaceful coexistence.
In other parts of Potsdamer Platz, two other groups organized protests.
One group, consisting of art workers, carried signs with messages such as 'No seat for fascists anywhere' and 'No to racism! No to AfD.' The other group, composed of film industry workers, demanded better working conditions. Berlinale faced serious criticism for initially inviting far-right politicians, and after widespread backlash, the festival announced on February 8 that the invitations were rescinded.
rotesters at the Berlin Film Festival carried banners with the inscription "No seats for fascists anywhere" after the festival. I
Invitations were extended to AfD politicians for the opening ceremony, but they were later withdrawn.
Subsequently, red carpet participants protested through fashion, with actress Pheline Roggan wearing a necklace with "Fck AfD" written on it, and model Papis Loveday carrying a sign that said "No Racism! No AfD."
The withdrawn invitation to AfD members was a hot topic at the Thursday morning international jury press conference. Lupita Nyong'o, the president, was asked whether she would still attend the opening ceremony if the invitation to politicians continued. She replied, 'I am a foreigner here. I don't know the details of the political situation here. I am happy not to have to answer that question. I am happy not to be in that position.'
However, the famous director and jury member Christian Petzold also shared his perspective, saying, "For me, having five people from AfD in the audience is not a problem."
Petzold, the German director of films like 'Barbara' and 'Phoenix,' expressed a different viewpoint, stating, 'We are not cowards. If you can't tolerate having five people from AfD among the audience, we lose our struggle.'
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