Arundhati Roy skips Berlin Film Festival over jury comments on Gaza India News

New Delhi: Author Arundhati Roy It was announced that she would not be attending the Berlinale, where a film she created nearly four decades ago was scheduled to be screened in the festival’s classics section. Roy’s script Anne gives in it thoseWritten 38 years ago, the work was selected to screen at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. In a statement released Friday, she said the choice was personally meaningful.“‘Anne Gives’ is a whimsical film I wrote 38 years ago that was chosen to screen under the Classics section of the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. There’s something sweet and wonderful about that for me,” she said.However, Roy said she had been grappling with broader political concerns related to Germany’s stance on Palestine, although she acknowledged support from German audiences in the past. “Although I am deeply disturbed by the stance taken by the German government and various German cultural institutions on the Palestinian issue, I always receive political solidarity when I speak to German audiences about my views on the genocide in Gaza. This made me think about attending the screening of Annie at the Berlin Film Festival.”

She said she decided not to attend following comments made by members of the Berlinale jury earlier Thursday. “This morning, like millions of people around the world, I heard the unconscionable comments made by members of the Berlin Film Festival jury when asked to comment on the genocide in Gaza. It’s jaw-dropping to hear them say that art shouldn’t be political. It’s a way to end the conversation about crimes against humanity, even as it unfolds before us in real time—and artists, writers, and filmmakers should do everything in their power to stop it.“Roy then made his position clear: “Let me be clear: What has happened in Gaza, and what is continuing to happen, is genocide against the Palestinian people…” She also criticized the silence of prominent cultural figures. “If the greatest filmmakers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say this, they should know that history will judge them. I am shocked and disgusted.”Roy concluded his statement by announcing his withdrawal from the event: “It is with deep regret that I must say that I will not be attending the Berlinale.”