Carlo Chatrian, the outgoing president of the Berlinale, distanced himself from criticism of the festival’s closing ceremony speeches earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Israeli director Yuval Abraham, who last week took home the award for best documentary at the Berlin Film Festival, said he had received death threats and had to cancel his trip home after German officials and Israeli media described his acceptance speech as “anti-Semitic.” He said: “A crowd of right-wing Israelis came to my family’s home yesterday to look for me, and threatened close family members who fled to another town in the middle of the night.”
In a new message posted today on X, Chatrian, who has just chaired his latest ceremony in Berlin, said the awards ceremony over the weekend “has been targeted in such a violent way that some people now see their lives threatened.”
“This is unacceptable,” Chatrian wrote. You can read the full message below.
After the festival ended, Chatrian said: “Politicians and the media have taken control of another form of communication, one that weaponizes anti-Semitism and exploits it for political purposes.”
He added: “This year’s festival was a place for dialogue and exchange for ten days.” “Regardless of our individual political convictions or beliefs, we must all keep in mind that freedom of expression is an essential part of what defines democracy.”
“We stand in solidarity with all filmmakers, jury members and other festival guests who have received direct or indirect threats, and will not retract any programming choices made at this year’s Berlinale,” Chatrian’s letter said.
The letter was signed by Chatrian and Head of Programming Mark Beranson, but not Chatrian Co-President Mariette Riesenbeck. The pair will soon be replaced by Tricia Tuttle.
Abraham’s acceptance speech over the weekend criticized the “apartheid situation” in Israel and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Following the awards ceremony, the Berlin Film Festival issued a press release distancing itself from comments made by several filmmakers in support of Palestine.
Berlin began with an uproar over the cancellation of invitations to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and was followed by pro-Palestine protests.