The German government will hold an “extraordinary meeting” to discuss the Berlinale’s “future direction,” the festival has confirmed.
In a statement to Variety, the federal government’s Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) said it had informed the festival: “An extraordinary meeting of the Supervisory Board of KBB GmbH will be held on Thursday morning under the leadership of Deputy Minister Wolfram Weimer. Weimer is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. The meeting will include a discussion on the future direction of the Berlinale.”
He added: “We will not comment on further speculation.”
The news follows a report in German tabloid Bild that Tricia Tuttle’s position as head of the festival is being questioned by government ministers after the 2026 Berlinale was overshadowed by political backlash.
The festival faced harsh criticism this year, stemming from the reluctance of prominent participants to discuss politics and accusations that the festival itself was trying to censor political topics.
Faced with questions about the Gaza conflict on the festival’s opening day, jury president Wim Wenders said: “We have to stay out of politics, because if we make a committed political film, we are entering the political field,” prompting an immediate backlash on social media, followed by an open letter criticizing the Berlinale for its “silence” on Gaza.
But on Saturday’s closing night, the controversy reversed, with several winners expressing support for Palestine and Gaza in their acceptance speeches. German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider reportedly walked out of the ceremony after Palestinian director Abdallah al-Khatib, who won the top outlook award for his film Chronicles from the Siege, accused the German government of being “a partner in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
The festival was then forced to respond to claims by German politicians that the speech was “unacceptable,” “anti-Semitic” and “malicious.” “According to our understanding, everything said on Saturday was within the scope of Germany’s free speech laws,” the festival told Variety’s sister publication Deadline.
Tuttle admitted in an interview with Variety magazine during the festival that the festival “was kind of a lightning rod for political controversy.” She added: “It’s very tiring. It’s really hard to make sure we get approval from the filmmakers, which is really important, but when it’s just about us, it’s hard.”
