New Delhi: Author and public intellectual Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, citing deep objection to comments made by the festival jury on the ongoing Gaza crisis. Roy said the refusal of senior cultural figures to address the humanitarian catastrophe would face judgment in history.
Roy was scheduled to attend the festival to present a restored version of her 1989 film In Which Annie Gives It Those One, known for marking Shah Rukh Khan’s screen debut. She pulled out shortly before the event after remarks made at a press conference by jury president Wim Wenders and other members. When asked about Gaza, Wenders said cinema should stay away from politics.
In a statement, Roy described the remarks as shocking and said they forced her to reconsider participation with regret. She rejected the idea that art exists outside political and moral responsibility. Roy said silence from leading artists during mass suffering amounts to complicity. She described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide against the Palestinian people and urged cultural leaders to speak with clarity.
Roy said artists shape public conscience and cannot retreat during moments of moral crisis. She warned that history records such silences as failures of courage.
The Berlin Film Festival responded by stating it respected Roy’s decision and expressed regret over her absence, noting that her presence would have enriched discussion. Other jury members echoed Wenders’ view, saying it was unfair to expect the jury to take political positions.
The festival has long carried a reputation for political engagement. This year’s edition has drawn attention for reluctance among prominent figures to address Gaza, even as global cultural spaces face growing calls for ethical accountability.
