International artists criticized what they described as the institutional silence of the Berlin Film Festival regarding the Gaza war, and in an open letter published Tuesday in the magazine "Variety" they demanded the issuance of a statement affirming the Palestinians' right to life and protecting the freedom of artistic expression of their suffering, while the letter states that international experts believe that the Israeli attack amounts to genocide.

Published on: 02/18/2026 - 01:40

More than 80 actors, directors and artists participating in the Berlin Film Festival, including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter to the festival administration demanding that it take a clear position on Israel’s war on Gaza. The letter was published in its entirety on Tuesday in the entertainment magazine Variety.

The letter stated that the signatories "call on the Berlin Film Festival to fulfill its moral duty and clearly express its opposition to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians." A number of human rights experts and a United Nations investigation indicate that the Israeli attack on Gaza rises to the level of genocide, while Israel asserts that its operations are in “self-defense” following the Hamas attack in October 2023.

The artists expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as the "institutional silence" of the festival, stressing that its organizers ignored repeated demands to issue a statement recognizing the Palestinians' right to life and pledging to protect the artists' right to express this issue. The letter added, "This is the least the festival can and should do." The organizers have not yet responded to a request for comment sent via email.

Read also: Two subpoenas issued in France against two French-Israeli activists on suspicion of complicity in “genocide” in Gaza

The Berlin Film Festival is seen as more politically involved than the Venice and Cannes festivals, and it usually prides itself on screening films from marginalized communities and giving space to young talents. However, the festival has recently faced increasing criticism from pro-Palestinian activists due to the absence of a clear position on the Gaza war, in contrast to its public positions on the war in Ukraine and the situation in Iran.

This message comes in the context of broader pressure on the entertainment industry in the West to take a position on the war on Gaza, amid calls to boycott institutions accused of collusion with Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.

Last year, more than five thousand actors, artists and producers, including Hollywood stars, signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions that they considered to contribute to violations against the Palestinians, while Paramount later quickly denounced this pledge and confirmed that it did not support it.

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.