Political drama ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Berlin’s Golden Bear

“Yellow Letters,” directed by German filmmaker Ilker Catak, won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear for best film on Saturday, at a ceremony reflecting the controversy over Gaza that has dogged this year’s edition. Some award winners spoke out in favour of the Palestinian cause, pushing back after jury president Wim Wenders had sparked outrage earlier by trying to steer the festival away from the issue. Festival director Tricia Tuttle acknowledged Saturday that this year’s edition had been “emotionally charged” after days of sometimes acrimonious debate on how far filmmaking should intervene in politics. Catak’s film tells the story of a Turkish director and his actor wife, suddenly barred from working because of their political opinions. Wenders called the film “a terrifying premonition, a look into the near future that could possibly happen in our countries as well”.

While set in Turkey, the film was shot in Germany, an artistic choice to make the point that threats to liberty are universal. The runner-up Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to “Salvation” by Emin Alper, who in his speech expressed solidarity with several high-profile opposition figures in prison in Turkey, including jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Alper’s film, inspired by a true story, shows the consequences of a feud over land between two clans in a remote mountain village. He took the opportunity to speak up for “the people of Iran suffering under tyranny” and “Kurds in Rojava and the Middle East struggling for their rights for almost a century — you are not alone”. Alper also spoke of “the Palestinians in Gaza living and dying under the most terrible conditions”.

Alper was not the only award-winner to express support for the Palestinians. Syrian-Palestinian director Abdullah Al-Khatib won Best First Feature Award for “Chronicles From the Siege”. He accepted the award with a keffiyeh draped over his shoulder and gave an impassioned speech in which addressed the German government by saying: “You are partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel.” He received cheers for his words but also prompted some heckling, reflecting the tension over Gaza which has often overshadowed this year’s event. Speaking at a press conference at the beginning of the festival last week, Wenders answered a question about the German government’s support for Israel by saying: “We cannot really enter the field of politics.”

Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, who had been due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, pulled out of the event, branding Wenders’ words “unconscionable” and “jaw-dropping”.

On Tuesday, an open letter signed by dozens of film industry figures, including actors Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton and director Adam McKay, condemned the Berlin festival’s “silence on the genocide of Palestinians” and accused it of being involved in “censoring” artists who oppose Israel’s actions.

Tuttle has firmly rejected the accusations.

Wenders addressed the controversy on Saturday.

“The language of cinema is empathetic. The language of social media is effective,” he said.

Addressing political activists, he said: “All of us applaud you. You do necessary and courageous work.” “But does it need to be in competition with us? Do our languages need to clash?” he asked.

Other award winners on Saturday included German actress Sandra Hueller, who received the Silver Bear for Best Performance for her title role in Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose”.

The black-and-white drama tells the story of a woman passing herself off as a man in rural 17th-century Germany to escape the constraints of patriarchy.

“Queen at Sea” by American director Lance Hammer, which stars Juliette Binoche as a woman caring for her mother with dementia, picked up two awards.

The film portrays the devastation Alzheimer’s disease inflicts on a patient’s loved ones. Tom Courtenay, 88, and 79-year-old Anna Calder-Marshall, who plays the ailing mother in the film, shared the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. The film also picked up the Silver Bear Jury Prize.

Agence France-Presse