Arundhati Roy had been scheduled to attend the Berlin International Film Festival to present her work as a screenwriter on the 1989 film “In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones,” which is being screened as part of the festival’s classics program.
However, Roy has now chosen to withdraw her participation, according to Variety. The author cited “unconscionable statements” made by some of the festival’s jury members regarding Gaza in a written statement published in Indian publication The Wire.
During a press conference on the festival’s opening day, jury chair Wim Wenders argued that the film world should stay out of politics.
The film festival receives state funding and when the jury was questioned about Gaza and the German government’s support for Israel, jury member Ewa Puszczyńska pointed out that “there are many other wars where genocide is taking place, and we are not talking about them.” She continued: “This represents a very complicated question and I think We see a little unfair to ask us what we think.”
The statements have drawn criticism from multiple corners. Arundhati Roy wrote that she found it “jaw-dropping” to hear the jury say that art should not be political: “It is a way of shutting down a conversation about a crime against humanity.”
Arundhati Roy is a prolific author, having published numerous books including “The God of Small Things” (1998) and “My Harbor and My Storm” (2025). Her withdrawal highlights the increasing intersection of art and activism in the global conversation surrounding current events.
The Berlin International Film Festival runs from February 12th to February 22nd.
Read more about the Berlin Film Festival:
Star power and strong female roles at this year’s Berlin Festival
Kim Ekberg: “I aim for to produce a Swedish experimental film for the whole people”
