Boycott, Artistic Freedom, and Gaza: Cultural Controversies at Berlinale Suneil Sanzgiri
Indian-American filmmaker Suneil Sanzgiri was about to screen his film about anti-colonial resistance against the Portuguese Empire at the Berlinale Film Festival, but he pulled out.
Suneil Sanzgiri announced her boycott on the photo and video-sharing platform Instagram, Suneil Sanzgiri accused the German authorities of silencing people’s voices for the Palestinians in the war against Gaza. “I will not participate. We all have blood on our hands,” he wrote in the caption.
Suneil Sanzgiri is one of at least three films that were withdrawn by their makers, while other events at the festival also saw artists being pulled out.
The withdrawal showed that Germany’s cultural institutions are navigating the difficulties of being caught between protecting artistic freedoms. Accepting what many Germans see as a historical obligation to Israel after the Nazi Holocaust.
Such incidents have increased since October 7 in Europe and elsewhere. The European Broadcasting Union has resisted calls to exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest.
Protests erupted in the Italian city of Naples in February after national broadcaster RAI distanced itself from Rapper Ghali‘s appeal to “stop the genocide” during the closing night of the popular Sanremo music festival.
A group of artists have been documenting events in the UK, which were influenced by the artists’ pro-Palestinian views. The Arnolfini Art Gallery in Bristol also sparked a backlash after canceling two Palestinian film programs, fearing they “could stray into political activity“.
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In France in November, a group of artists organized a “silent march” where they carried white banners with no slogans on them.
In Germany, anger over the Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has killed 29,000 Palestinians, has clashed with sensitivity over support for Israel. Critics say the crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices confuses criticism with legitimate protest.
Because cultural events are often supported by the state, critics say the government has used its financial power to stifle any criticism of Israel, a charge the government vehemently denies.
“Freedom of art and freedom of expression are among the most important fundamental principles of democracy in Germany, which of course are also protected by the federal government,” a culture ministry spokesman said.
“Federally funded institutions and projects have curatorial freedom and decide for themselves which artists they work with,” the spokesperson added.
In announcing the Berlinale boycott, filmmaker Sanzgiri expressed his support for Strike Germany, an initiative launched in January by Artists Anonymous to call on filmmakers, musicians, writers, and artists to withdraw from cultural events in Germany. was demanded.
“This is a call to reject the use of McCarthyist policies by German cultural institutions that stifle freedom of expression, especially solidarity with Palestine,” the organizers wrote.
According to a list on the initiative’s website, about 1,600 artists have signed up, including French Nobel laureate Annie Erneaux. Reuters could not confirm the authenticity of the list.
Last month, Berlin’s CTM music festival announced the withdrawal of several artists in solidarity with Strike Germany.
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The strike calls for Germany to adopt a different definition of anti-Semitism that does not include criticism of the state of Israel.
Berlinale does not shy away from the Gaza issue. It is hosting a so-called Tiny House initiative, a small space that invites diverse voices to debate the situation in Gaza. One of the films highlighted Israeli settlers’ encroachment on land.
It is one of several cultural events in Germany overshadowed by anger over Gaza.
Hundreds of international authors condemned the Frankfurt Book Fair in October after an award for a Palestinian author was postponed. In November, the entire selection committee for “Documentation,” one of Europe’s most important art exhibitions, resigned after controversy over Israel’s aggression on Gaza.
