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Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from the Berlin International Film Festival, where she was to present her film due to jury head Wim Wenders' refusal to engage in political discussions about Gaza.
Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. She was scheduled to present her 1989 film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, in the Classics section. The acclaimed Indian author’s decision follows jury head Wim Wenders’ refusal to take a stand for Gaza.
Controversy erupted when Wenders pushed back against political questions on the opening day. He suggested filmmakers should stay out of politics and focus on people rather than politicians. His comments drew criticism and made global headlines.
“We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics,” Wenders said at the press conference
“But we are the counterweight of politics; we are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians,” he added.
During the same discussion, jury member Ewa Puszczyńska also resisted questions about the Gaza conflict and Germany’s support for Israel. According to her, many other wars involving alleged genocide receive little attention.
She described the issue as complex and said it was unfair to expect jurors to state political positions or advise governments.
Roy said her decision had been prompted by what she described as ‘unconscionable comments’ from jury members when asked about Gaza.
Arundhati Roy’s statement
Arundhati Roy has said that she initially found it ‘touching’ that her 1989 ‘whimsical’ film was chosen for the Berlinale 2026 Classics section. She noted she had long been troubled by the German government and cultural bodies over Palestine.
Yet, German audiences showed her political solidarity, which made her willing to attend. However, she withdrew after hearing jury members argue that art should stay separate from politics.
Roy describes those remarks as “shocking” and said such views silence discussion about what she called a “crime against humanity” in Gaza. According to her, artists and writers should actively resist injustice instead.
“Let me say this clearly: what has happened in Gaza, what continues to happen, is a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel. It is supported and funded by the governments of the United States and Germany, as well as several other countries in Europe, which makes them complicit in the crime,” Roy wrote in her statement on The Wire.
“If the greatest filmmakers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them. I am shocked and disgusted. With deep regret, I must say that I will not be attending the Berlinale,” she added.
English (US) ·