Tricia Tuttle, the new director of the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, which opened for its 75th edition on Thursday, took part in a demonstration on the red carpet that showed solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas.
As a snowstorm blanketed Berlin and Germany reeled from a terrorist attack in Munich hours before, Tuttle joined a group of German actors holding up a photo of David Cunio, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and is still being held. Cunio has a special connection to the Berlinale, because in 2013, he starred in Youth, a movie by Tom Shoval, which was shown at the festival. At this year’s festival, a new documentary by Shoval will be shown, Letter to David, about Cunio’s kidnapping and his work on Youth, will be shown.
Before the red-carpet moment, a vigil took place at Potsdamer Platz, just steps from the main festival venue. Tuttle took part in a second vigil on the red carpet outside the Berlinale Palast, where the opening night ceremony was held. She held joined several German actors, including Christian Berkel, Andrea Sawatzki, and Ulrich Matthes, and held Cunio’s picture.
The group behind the vigil, which is called Bring David Home now, released an open letter signed by more than 100 professionals, including actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, directors Michel Franco (whose film, Dreams, is in this year’s Berlinale Competition) and Ari Folman, and producer Max Wiedemann.
The letter reads, in part, “As the Berlin Film Festival takes place in the city of Berlin for the 75th time, we would like to remind festivalgoers that there is a captive with ties to the festival who is still held hostage inside the tunnels of Hamas somewhere in the Gaza Strip.”
Tuttle’s participation in the vigil sends a strong message that the Berlinale will not allow the hostages still held by Hamas to be forgotten, including Cunio and his brother, Ariel.
The letter ends with the words, “As the film festival starts, and Berlin becomes full of life and art, we call for the immediate release of David, his brother Ariel, and the many dozens of Israeli hostages who are being held in the tunnels of Gaza. We pray that one day David would be able to visit Berlin and enjoy it again.”
The documentary Holding Liat, by Brandon Kramer and produced by Darren Aronofsky, which focuses on hostage Liat Atzili and her family, is also being shown at the Berlinale.
Tuttle emphasized in her opening-night remarks that the festival welcomed dialogue about all issues. Last year, before Tuttle took the helm, the festival faced criticism over speeches by some award winners that criticized Israel in a way many felt was antisemitic, while making no reference to Hamas and the massacre the terror group committed that led to the outbreak of the war.
Tilda Swinton
The winner of this year’s honorary Golden Bear, a highly prestigious lifetime achievement award, actress Tilda Swinton, has been critical of Israel in the past, but did not mention the words Israel, Gaza, or Hamas in her acceptance speech in which she said, “So for the sake of clarity, let’s name it. The inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch. I’m here to name it without hesitation or doubt in my mind…”
She also said the festival is “innately inclusive, immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property,” an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to rebuild Gaza following the war, saying, “state-perpetrated and internationally-enabled mass murder is currently actively terrorizing more than one part of our world.”
Swinton is an Oscar-winning Scottish actress who has appeared in such films as Michael Clayton, Asteroid City, Only Lovers Left Alive and many others.
The Berlinale will run until February 23.
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