International Insider: Berlinale U-Turn; MIP London Talks; Promotions & Exits

deadline.com:

Good afternoon, it’s been a huge week in international TV and Max Goldbart is here to guide you through. Read on. Dramatic yet unsurprising: Andreas and Zac have penned a string of exclusives over the past few days that concluded with the Berlin Film Festival’s high-profile u-turn Thursday afternoon, disinviting members of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the opening ceremony after initially sending invitations to five politicians from the party.

The move felt simultaneously dramatic yet unsurprising. The industry outcry over the AfD’s presence at the Berlinale opening ceremony had been extensive, and anger was also growing among Berlinale staff. “Over the past few days, there has been an intense discussion in the cultural sector, in the press, and on social media as well as within the Berlinale team about the invitations of AfD politicians, a right-wing extremist party, to the opening of the Berlinale,” the festival’s statement read Thursday. “The reputation of the industry”: Festival sources told us the decision to disinvite AfD representatives was finalized late Thursday afternoon following heated discussions between Berlinale co-heads Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, and German Culture Minister Claudia Roth, who sources told us was against the move.

We hear the decision was largely influenced by the growing number of industry professionals who had said they would not attend the opening with AfD representatives present.

Earlier that day, an alliance of film trade organizations, including the German Film Academy, and unions representing producers and writers, published a new open letter in protest against the invitation. “Our concern is the reputation of our industry and our country,” the