Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle Tackles Questions Questions On Freedom Of Speech & Welcomes $1.9M Funding Boost: “Lots Of filmmakers From Arab Countries Have Approached Us”

deadline.com:

Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle said questions around freedom of speech had loomed large as she prepared her inaugural edition but not impacted her selection, as she announced the line-up for the main Competition and new Perspectives strand on Tuesday.

Prior to her arrival, the 2024 edition dissolved into a war of words over conflicting views about the Israel-Hamas conflict, after several filmmakers criticized Israel over its ongoing offensive in Gaza in the closing night awards ceremony and a handful of local politicians responded saying their comments were antisemitic.

The incident led to suggestions that the Berlinale, which has always prided itself as a safe space open to the debates of the day, was no longer a bastion of freedom of speech and different political perspectives. “Lots of filmmakers from Arab countries have approached us over the last weeks, just to make sure the festival is a space for open dialogue and discourse,” Tuttle said in answer to a question on how the festival would tackle around questions of freedom of speech this year. “Where we can, we like to have individual conversations, and we’d encourage filmmakers to come to us, to talk to us about this.

It’s affected the program… but not so far, it’s not been something that’s kept us from being able to program the program that we wanted to, but outreach is really important for us.” Tuttle suggested that the current political mood had been challenging for festivals but added that she had not let the atmosphere of division dent her pleasure of programming the festival. “It was a challenge.