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Brady Corbet, Jasmine Trinca, Christian Petzold, Lupita Nyong'o and Albert Serra are on the Berlinale jury 2024: Controversial discussions even before the bear award

Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / AP

In her role as the spy Nakia in Marvel's "Black Panther" films, she cannot stay out of political questions. As president of the international jury at the 74th Berlin Film Festival, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o tried her best when asked about topics such as the Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine at the jury's opening press conference on Thursday.

Nyong'o announced that the discussions within the jury would be heated. But she related this to the decisions about the Golden and Silver Bears that the seven jurors have to make. "The nice thing about bringing people from different backgrounds together is that we respond to different things," said the Mexican-Kenyan actress.

But the first black jury president in the history of the Berlinale has already made it clear: "In the 48 hours that I've been here, one of the things that is mentioned again and again is how political the Berlinale is." And so should Lupita Nyong 'o say whether she could have endured being in the same room as representatives of the AfD. "I'm a foreigner here," said the 40-year-old. »I don't know the political situation here inside out. I’m glad I don’t have to answer that question.”

Petzold: “We are not cowards”

The Berlinale initially also invited AfD members of the cultural committees of the Bundestag and the Berlin House of Representatives to the opening. But after international criticism, the festival management decided to disinvite them again. The Berlinale management also justified this with revelations that had occurred in recent weeks about “explicitly anti-democratic positions” and about individual party politicians. The AfD criticized the disinvitation as a “blow against democracy.”

Two jury members criticized this decision at the press conference. German director Christian Petzold said he had no problem with the presence of a few AfD politicians at the Berlinale opening. "I think it's no problem to have five people from the AfD in the audience," said the 63-year-old. »We are not cowards. If we can't stand the fact that five people from the AfD are sitting in the audience, we will lose our fight." At the same time, he emphasized that this question was making the problem bigger than it was - because a few AfD politicians fell in one festival, to which many thousands of people would come, is irrelevant.

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Juror Petzold: Endure five AfD MPs

Photo: Sören Stache / dpa

The Italian actress Jasmine Trinca, who will present her series "Supersex" about the porn actor Rocco Siffredi at the Berlinale, believes above all in the power of cinema: "Imagine five fascists sitting in a cinema and looking at works, which the Berlinale decided to show.« Trinca believes that this would have broadened the perspectives of politicians.

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Juror Trinca: Cinema can broaden perspectives

Photo: Annegret Hilse / REUTERS

Jury discussions also about Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is also an issue. There were discussions on Thursday about some statements by the Spanish director and jury member Albert Serra that were criticized as pro-Putin. This is explosive not least because the Ukrainian author and Putin critic Oksana Sabuschko is also on the jury.

A journalist asked Serra about a 2018 interview in which he allegedly expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Serra was asked if he had changed his opinion of Putin since the war. He qualified earlier statements and explained, among other things: "The political question of which leadership (I) prefer has changed, because it is war and everyone is angry with Russia." This is a very complex question.

Author Sabushko said: "There is good news: last night we had dinner together and he bought my recently published book about this war. So I hope he gets some training.”

Feb/dpa/AP/AFP/Reuters