Alison Oliver, Alan O'Gorman and Tilda Swinton among 80-plus names to sign open letter criticising Berlin Film Festival for its 'silence' on Gaza

In an open letter to the Berlinale, over 80 current and former attendees have denounced what they say has been the festival's "silence" regarding the Gaza conflict and the "censoring" of artists who have voiced their opinions.

The letter, signed by directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, Miguel Gomes, Adam McKay, and Avi Mograbi, as well as actors Alison Oliver, Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan, and Tobias Menzies, states that they "expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians," Variety reports.

Politics has emerged as a major theme at the 2026 Berlinale, in light of remarks made by jury chair Wim Wenders during the opening press conference. Wenders stated that filmmakers "should stay out of politics" and that filmmaking is "the opposite of politics" in response to questions about Gaza and the backing that the German government, which provides funding for a large portion of the festival, has shown for Israel.

"Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival's previous or current practices over which they have no control," said festival head Tricia Tuttle in a statement, in response to the uproar that followed Wenders' comment.

The signatories of the open letter stated that they "fervently disagree" with Wenders' political and cinematic beliefs. The "tide is changing across the international film world," they say, pointing to the refusal of over 5,000 film workers, including some well-known Hollywood figures, to collaborate with "complicit Israeli film companies and institutions."

The letter highlights that the Berlinale has made “clear statements” in the past about the atrocities carried out against people in Iran and Ukraine.

“We call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel’s genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians, and completely end its involvement in shielding Israel from criticism and calls for accountability,” it states.

• Read the full list of signatories below:

1. Adam McKay
2. Adèle Haenel
3. Alan O’Gorman
4. Alexandra Juhasz
5. Alexandre Koberidze
6. Alia Shawkat
7. Alison Oliver
8. Alkis Papastathopoulos
9. Ana Naomi de Sousa
10. Angeliki Papoulia
11. Antigoni Rota
12. Ariane Labed
13. Artemis Anastasiadou
14. Ashley McKenzie
15. Avi Mograbi
16. Bahija Essoussi
17. Ben Russell
18. Bingham Bryant
19. Blake Williams
20. Blanche Gardin
21. Brett Story
22. Brian Cox
23. Camilo Restrepo
24. Carice Van Houten
25. Charlie Shackleton
26. Cherien Dabis
27. Christopher Young
28. Dali Benssalah
29. David Osit
30. Deragh Campbell
31. Dustin Defa
32. Eleni Alexandrakis
33. Elhum Shakerifar
34. Emilie Deleuze
35. Eyal Sivan
36. Fernando Meirelles
37. Fil Ieropoulos
38. Geoff Arbourne
39. Hany Abu Assad
40. Hind Meddeb
41. James Benning
42. Javier Bardem
43. John Greyson
44. Jon Jost
45. Khalid Abdalla
46. Leah Borromeo
47. Lukas Dhont
48. Mahdi Fleifel
49. Mai Masri
50. Malika Zouhali-Worrall
51. Manuel Embalse
52. Marina Gioti
53. Marion Schmidt
54. Merawi Gerima
55. Miguel Gomes
56. Mike Leigh
57. Miranda Pennell
58. Namir Abdel Messeeh
59. Nan Goldin
60. Narimane Mari
61. Nina Menkes
62. Pascale Ramonda
63. Patricia Mazuy
64. Paul Laverty
65. Pedro Pimenta
66. Peter Mullan
67. Phaedra Vokali
68. Robert Greene
69. Saeed Taji Farouky
70. Saleh Bakri
71. Samaher Alqadi
72. Sarah Friedland
73. Sepideh Farsi
74. Shirin Neshat
75. Smaro Papaevangelou
76. Sofia Georgovassili
77. Tatiana Maslany
78. Thodoris Dimitropoulos
79. Tilda Swinton
80. Tobias Menzies
81. Tyler Taormina