Feb 15, 2026 12:47am PT Berlinale Issues Statement Following Political Backlash at Festival, Says Artists Should Not Be ‘Expected to Speak on Every Political Issue’ By Alex Ritman Plus Icon Alex Ritman @alexritman Latest Rupert Grint on the Rise of Fascism: ‘Obviously, I’m Against It’ 17 hours ago ‘Wuthering Heights’ Breakout Charlotte Mellington on Playing Young Cathy, Word Games With Jacob Elordi and the ‘Creepy’ Prop Emerald Fennell Gave Her 18 hours ago Rupert Grint on Returning to Acting for Disturbing Horror ‘Nightborn,’ His Reluctant Celebrity Status and Wishing New ‘Harry Potter’ Actors ‘All the Best’: ‘It’s Such a Fun Journey’ 2 days ago See All Getty The Berlin Film Festival has issued a lengthy statement from head Tricia Tuttle over what it describes as a “media storm” that has swept over the festival. The note — sent out late on Saturday night — comes following criticism faced by multiple attendees over the comments about politics, most notably the jury in the opening day press conference. Faced with questions about the conflict in Gaza, jury head Wim Wenders said, “We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics,” prompting immediate backlash on social media.
