Berlin (dpa) – Overshadowed by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the 73rd Berlinale has opened. To mark the start of the Berlin International Film Festival, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky directed an emotional appeal to filmmakers and artists to support his country following the Russian attack. “Can art be outside politics?” he asked in a live video link to the opening gala, explaining that this question has become extremely important again. Both the festival organisers and Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth promised Ukraine solidarity. The audience responded to Zelensky’s message with a standing ovation.
Minister of State for Culture Roth recalled the importance of culture in times of war and crisis. “Anyone who makes films and who shows films in dark times is resisting the absence of freedom,” said Roth, adding that the Berlinale had celebrated the power of film in dark and in bright times: “The culture of democracy, the culture of diversity and understanding.”
The Berlinale, which alongside Cannes and Venice is one of the most important international film festivals, ends on 26 February. 19 films will be in the running for the Golden Bear. A number of film stars have come to Berlin, among them the actors Anne Hathaway and Peter Dinklage and this year’s jury president Kristen Stewart. The situation facing people in Iran is also to be remembered during the film festival. On the red carpet, several women, including German actor Jasmin Tabatabai, held up a white banner with the inscription “Woman Life Freedom”.
Originally published at https://www.deutschland.de/en/news/73rd-berlinale-opens
