Tricia Tuttle will remain the director of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale confirmed, following a supervisory board meeting on Wednesday.
In a statement, the festival said the board confirmed “the importance of the independence of our work,” refuting claims that had been circulating in the German media that a condition of Tuttle’s continued employment would require the Berlinale and its guests signing off on a new “code of conduct” that would include specific measures to counter “antisemitism.”
The claims were circulated by conservative German tabloid Bild, ahead of today’s supervisory board meeting. The Berlinale said the supervisory board gave “recommendations rather than conditions related to Tuttle’s continued employment. Their consideration and any implementation now rests with the Berlinale, and we will review them.”
Bild has led the charge to get Tuttle fired since the Berlinale awards ceremony on Feb. 21, when a number of filmmakers made pro-Palestinian statements from the stage. Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, winner of the top prize in the Perspectives section for Chronicles From the Siege, used his speech to take aim at the German government, accusing them of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel.” In response, German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walked out of the ceremony. Bild also unearthed a premiere photo from Feb. 15 showing Tuttle posing with the Chronicles From the Siege crew, with several of the filmmakers wearing keffiyehs and holding Palestinian flags.
There has been a groundswell of support for Tuttle from cinema professionals across Europe and beyond. Some 2,500 film professionals, including Sean Baker, Nancy Spielberg, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Tilda Swinton, have signed an open letter backing her to stay in the job. On Tuesday, 32 global film festival directors, including Cannes head Thierry Frémaux, Toronto Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey, San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos, Rotterdam head Vanja Kaludjercic, and Locarno director Giona A. Nazzaro, signed an open letter saying they “stand in support of Tricia Tuttle’s wish to continue as Berlinale Festival Director in full trust and with institutional independence.”