The closing gala of the Berlin Film Festival sparked a wave of outrage, with accusations of anti-Semitism being raised. Israel's ambassador Ron Prosor sharply criticized the "German cultural scene" The organizers of the film festival explained that the statements made by the award winners were independent, individual opinions and “in no way reflect the position of the festival” Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 was not mentioned by the prize winners at the gala.
The organizers also announced that a Berlinale Instagram channel had been hacked.