Indian novelist and activist Arundhati Roy announced on Friday that she is withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival, after the head of the festival jury suggested filmmakers should avoid overtly political films.
Roy, who won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel “The God of Small Things,” said she was “shocked and disgusted” by comments made by jury members, including German director Wim Wenders, who is leading this year’s seven-member international jury.
Speaking on Thursday, Wenders said filmmakers should “stay out of politics,” arguing that politically dedicated films enter the field of politicians rather than serving as a counterweight.
“We have to do the work of people and not the work of politicians,” Wenders said.
Another jury member, Polish film producer Ewa Puszczynska, also said it was “not fair” to ask the jury as a group to comment on government positions regarding the war in Gaza.
Roy described the remarks as “unconscionable,” saying it was “jaw-dropping” to hear claims that art should not be political. In a statement published by Indian journal The Wire, she said such views shut down conversation about what she called a “crime against humanity” unfolding in real time.
Roy had been scheduled to present the 1989 film “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones,” which she wrote, as part of the Berlinale’s Classics section. She said she would not attend the festival. Festival organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Roy’s decision adds to the growing global divisions over the Gaza war. The Berlin Film Festival, often seen as more politically engaged than festivals in Venice and Cannes, has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists for not taking a stronger stance on Gaza, particularly compared to its approach to issues such as the war in Ukraine and protests in Iran.
The conflict escalated after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri on charges including crimes against humanity, which Israel denies.