Two days after Rupert Grint’s frank and perhaps sarcastic declaration – “Obviously I’m against[fascism]” – echoed through Potsdamer Platz and became a meme, Tricia Tuttle, head of the Berlin Film Festival, remains furious.
Midway through his second run at the helm of the Berlinale, the combative festival director wasted no time in addressing the political storm that flared up on the opening day and quickly threatened to overshadow the film itself.
“We’re kind of a lightning rod for political controversy,” she said in an interview with Variety. “It’s very tedious. It’s really difficult to make sure we get approval from the filmmakers, and it’s very important, but when that becomes the only thing we talk about, it becomes difficult.”
For Tuttle (who already issued a statement on the issue last weekend), the question is not whether Berlin should be political (the festival’s identity has long been defined by civic debate), but how to avoid politics dominating the headlines. “I’m not trying to dilute the politics of the festival. I think politics and films about politics are a very important part of any festival, and they’re a very important part of the Berlinale,” she says. “I just want to keep a balance, talk about the art of film and support the market.”
At the halfway point, she feels “really great about the filmmakers, the program, and the market.” One of the aspects she is most proud of is the diversity of storytelling and filmmaking in this 76th edition lineup. The episode kicked off with Shahrbanou Sadat’s Afghan romantic comedy No Good Men, but also includes several star-studded films, including Karim Aynous’ Rosebush Pruning, starring Karim Turner, Pamela Anderson, and Elle Fanning, and The Moment, starring Charli XCX. “Josephine,” directed by Beth de Araujo, co-starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, and “At the Sea,” directed by Cornel Mundruzo, starring Amy Adams.
Tuttle also hinted that he was trying to bring back Timothée Chalamet, who sparked a fan frenzy when he co-starred with Kylie Jenner in the German premiere of Complete Unknown last year, for Marty Supreme. “I think everyone would want Timothée Chalamet to wear a pink vest. We knew the audience would love that, and we loved the movie,” she says. Even without Chalamet, the festival still managed to deliver some captivating snapshots, including Michelle Yeoh’s moving eulogy with Sean Baker on opening night, as well as appearances by Charli XX, Turner and his pop star fiancée Dua Lipa, Isabelle Huppert (The Bloody Countess) and Sandra Hüller (The Rose).
Tuttle acknowledged that because of where the festival is held during the year, the Berlinale “won’t be overly involved in awards season” like Cannes or Venice. Still, she said some graduates of the Berlinale competition could break through with the right distribution strategy, pointing to films like Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” starring Ethan Hawke, and Mary Bronstein’s “Kick You If You Have Legs,” starring Rose Byrne, which were delayed until the fall before the awards gained momentum. With the right distribution campaign, she suggests, this year’s standouts could similarly have “longevity and staying power” far beyond their Berlin premieres.
“I’m not going to talk about competition films because I don’t want to privilege anyone,” she says, but adds, “There are incredible individual contributions to all of these films.”
Read the full Q&A below.
The festival has reached its midway point. How are you feeling?
We feel really great about the filmmakers and the program, and the market is really great. So, obviously, I’m kind of a lightning rod for political controversy. And it’s very tiring. It’s very difficult and very important to get approval from filmmakers for sure, but it becomes difficult when it becomes the only topic of conversation.
Was it difficult to discern the line between talent and press?
It’s not that difficult. I think the truth is that filmmakers get nervous in situations like this. Because, let’s be honest, people are really distilled and put into a different context and slightly different questions. And it happens quite often. So I think people are really, really worried about that.
Have you ever had a conversation with a filmmaker or talent and they told you they didn’t feel comfortable coming to Berlin because of the political topics?
No, it wasn’t like that before. In fact, it wasn’t at all until after the jury press conference. Then everyone else was like, “What’s going on?” And the more we understood…well, we realized that this was actually a campaign of someone asking questions at a press conference. Then people are like, “Okay, this is a big moment, not really interested in my worldview,” and it gets really nerve-wracking. As I said in my statement, it’s true that some filmmakers want to answer those questions regardless of what their films are about, and they want to use that platform and that moment to say something about the world that they think is really important. Some people don’t. This is because when it comes to complex problems, you cannot express the complexity of what you think about something in a short answer to someone’s question.
Was it your goal to try to make the festival more about film than politics?
I’m not trying to dilute the politics of the festival. I think politics and films about politics are a very important part of any festival, and they’re a very important part of the Berlinale. I just want to maintain balance, talk about the art of film, and support the market so that films that enter festivals can be distributed and have gigs outside of festivals. I think one of the interesting things about the Berlinale is that it’s probably always a challenge and it’s a festival that has so much going on. And many stakeholders are asking for various things from the festival. So it can be a challenge. And I don’t think the people who are calling for us to stop showing movies and maybe stop talking about politics are the same people who are angry right now.
This year’s opening night ceremony was completely non-political and focused on Honorary Golden Bear recipient Michelle Yeoh, who gave an emotional speech after a moving introduction from Sean Baker. How did this happen?
Typically, when we ask someone to be an honorary Golden Bear recipient, we also talk about the possibility of someone meaningful to them. So he was the one we approached. She had just made a movie with him and she just kind of fell in love with working with him. We asked him and he said yes!
Have you already decided on your nominees for next year’s Honorary Golden Bear Award?
Well, we’ll have to wait and see. Yes, that may be true.
This year’s opening film was No Good Men, directed by Afghan director Shahrbanu Sadat. Did you feel any pressure to make it more flashy?
No pressure. Listen, there’s always pressure around this festival from all sides. Everyone is looking for charm. Many, but not all, want it. It’s not pressure, but one of the realities of my job is that we need big moments, but big moments that feel authentic and true to us. So we had a great jury with Wim Wenders as chairman, and we also had Michelle and Sean, so balance is also important. And you can find different ways to express your festival’s personality.
They could have chosen something more obvious, or they could have used that moment to spotlight a movie that they thought would reach a general audience that might really enjoy it but aren’t necessarily going there. And I think that profile felt like an opportunity for us to be able to lift the film and give it a little bit of the spotlight that it deserves and could really use wisely right now. I think the distributors are very positive about this film and feel it has the potential to be a little gem that reaches audiences. So it worked and people really responded to it.
One of those big moments happened in Charlie XCX’s mockumentary The Moment, which premiered at Sundance. How did this happen?
That’s what Universal and A24 have been talking to us about. You know, we go to all the rights holders and track what they’re making, and some things make sense timing-wise and some things don’t. So that was probably something we started talking about late last spring. And we kept talking and kept tracking and it worked out really well. Charlie also wanted to come and sponsor this film at some big festivals, which made sense to her.
Were you trying to get Timothée Chalamet back?
I think everyone wants Timothee Chalamet to wear a pink vest. We knew audiences would love this movie, and we loved it too. However, every year I like to try out some of the titles that make their debut in Germany in the Special Gala section. It’s really fun for the audience. So whenever something meaningful or something like that comes to mind, we always have those conversations. But they won’t be done unless you have talent. I’ve definitely had a few conversations like that this year.
What are your expectations for the next edition?
I’m really proud of this program. I liked last year, but I feel like this year is more consistent and moving in the direction we want to go. Hopefully, we can have some success this year for the rights holders and we can continue to court the films that come to us knowing that they can have a great experience, get good press and get buyer interest. We need to keep building it. It’s going to take time to build that up because the festival has always been great, but we’ve definitely lost a bit of a connection to what’s going on at EFM and it’s going to take time to rebuild that.
Do you think there are any nominees for this year’s award?
I’m not going to talk about competition films because I don’t want to privilege anyone, but I think there are incredible individual contributions to all of these films. So, I think you saw this year with “Blue Moon” and “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” where the proper distribution campaign was delayed until the fall, and then they went to some great festivals and got back into awards momentum. It could definitely happen and I’d love to see it. We’re not going to overperform for awards season given the circumstances (this year). But it’s great to see a movie that has that kind of longevity and staying power.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
