US Edition
In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones: Indian Writer Arundhati Roy's Cult Classic College Film Returns to Spotlight
- On February 13, 2026, Arundhati Roy announced she would not attend the Berlinale and withdrew her 1989 film from the Classics section, calling the jury comments `unconscionable` and said she was `shocked and disgusted`.
- Wim Wenders, jury president, said `We have to stay out of politics` at a Thursday press conference, surprising festival guests while other jury members sought to avoid politics.
- Regarding the film, Roy noted that she wrote In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones 38 years ago, which was selected for screening at Berlinale 2026, and described Gaza as `a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel` with the US and Germany as complicit.
- Her withdrawal transformed the Berlinale’s archival showcase into a flashpoint and reignited debate within global film circles, underscoring the festival's fragile political positioning.
- The 76th Berlinale runs February 12 to February 22, 2026, amid rising scrutiny, including boycott calls, Arab filmmakers withholding submissions, and backlash from German government and politicians.
102 Articles
102 Articles
The Beginning of the Berlinale Was Marked by Controversy Regarding the Expression of Political Views
The Berlinale International Film Festival has been mired in controversy over its political stance. Indian writer Arundhati Roy canceled her appearance at the festival on Friday after jury president Wim Wenders said they should "avoid politics." The festival director defended the jury and the filmmakers.
Sydney Morning Herald
Arundhati Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival over jury comments on political films
Jury president Wim Wenders’ comments that cinema should remain a non-political “counterweight” to politics has triggered widespread criticism.
Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy will not attend the Berlinale, saying she is appalled by jury president Wim Wenders' statement that filmmakers should remain apolitical, as "films should not get involved in politics."
At a press conference, the jury did not want to position itself with Israel and Gaza. Therefore, the writer Arundhati Roy cancels her Berlinale appearance.
Indian author Arundhati Roy has cancelled her participation in the ongoing Berlin Film Festival, citing the jury's statements on Gaza. "To hear them say that art should not be political is astonishing," she wrote in a comment.
The Independent
The Independent (US)Arundhati Roy quits Berlinale after jury chief’s ‘unconscionable’ Gaza remarks
Booker winner says jury’s argument that art shouldn’t be political is ‘jaw-dropping’
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