Following backlash over pro-Palestinian comments made at the closing gala of the 2026 festival, the German Culture Ministry held an emergency meeting of its supervisory board on Thursday morning to talk about the future of Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle. There was no immediate decision about her job, and Tuttle and the board will keep talking about it in the coming days. Culture Commissioner Wolfram Weimer led the meeting, which talked about the festival’s future after reports said Tuttle might be fired after only two years of her five-year term.
More than 500 Berlinale staff members, including contractors and freelancers, signed a letter praising Tuttle’s honesty, artistic vision, and leadership during tough times. They asked the board to keep her on. Many famous people, like Tilda Swinton, and support from the German and European film academies have come out in her favor, saying that the controversial comments came from filmmakers, not festival leaders. They say that getting rid of her would hurt the Berlinale’s status as a major film festival around the world.
The speeches at the end of the ceremony caused the uproar. Palestinian director Abd al-Kib won Best First Feature for “Chronicles From the Siege” and said that Germany was “partners in the genocide,” along with other winners who made similar comments. The conservative newspaper Bild called these “hate speech” and anti-Semitic propaganda, which led to calls for a change in leadership. The German government mostly pays for the festival through the KBB organization. It says it is politically active, but the conflict in Gaza has made things worse.
