A ten-minute address from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky headlined the opening ceremony of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, as multiple protests took place outside the Berlinale Palast venue.
Appearing via a live video link, Zelensky made an analogy between the Berlin Wall that used to divide Potsdamer Platz, and the wall that “Russia wants to build in Ukraine – a wall between us and Europe”.
“It is not only about state borders on the map; the wall divided world views, philosophies, different realms,” said Zelensky. He continued to say that Russia wants to create a divide “between progress, and the ruins that Russia leaves behind; a wall between civilisation and the tyranny Russia has waged”.
The full text of Zelensky’s speech is available below.
Zelensky’s video link had been introduced by US filmmaker Sean Penn, who was on stage in Berlin and whose documentary Superpower, about the events of the last year in Ukraine, debuts as a Berlinale Special Gala tomorrow (Friday 17) at 21.00 CET. The audience then offered a standing ovation to Zelensky before he began speaking.
The Ukrainian president closed his remarks describing the Berlinale as “a showcase of the free world”.
“Today Ukraine is a fortress of the free world,” he continued, “a fortress that has stood for almost a year; a fortress that protects itself, Europe and the world.
“A fortress that cannot fall; a fortress that will definitely stand – and will win. I know, and I believe it, that you will all be convinced of this, after seeing our Superpower – the superpower of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine.”
Competition jury member Golshifteh Farahani, who lives in exile from her native Iran, gave an impassioned speech calling for support for the people of her country from the international community.
“For breaking this wall, we need all of you,” said Farahani. “This wall is a wall of oppression. This regime lies; this regime executes; this regime puts innocent people in prison. The prisons of Iran are full of innocent people.” Farahani was then brought to tears by a standing ovation from the audience.
Protests
Protests from at least three different groups took place on Alte Potsdamer Strasse, directly in front of the Berlinale Palast venue.
Two members of German climate activism group Letzte Generation (translation: Last Generation) – a group with similar aims and tactics to international protest movement Extinction Rebellion – glued themselves to the red carpet underneath the Palast awning, preventing vehicles from bringing guests to the venue. However, it appeared that the majority of the She Came To Me film team were already inside the venue by the time of the protest.
The evening had already begun in rather chaotic fashion, with police cordoning off much of the street in front of the Palast.
Guests with tickets, including senior Berlinale staff and members of the She Came To Me team, were prevented from crossing the street to access the entrance by the Grand Hyatt hotel.
However, most of the police officers blocking the access had no information about where guests with tickets should go to access the venue; as one officer told Screen, “I have to stop you; I don’t know why.” Police tape was repeatedly put up, with dozens of guests simply ducking underneath it in frustration.
There was a second protest against taxi firm Uber, who have become an official Berlinale sponsor this year – and were later thanked on stage by Berlinale co-director Mariette Rissenbeek, for being a partner and for the firm’s use of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
There was also a protest further down the street by ver.di, a union calling for improvement of working conditions in Yorck Kino cinemas, a German exhibition chain. The protestors handed out leaflets stating that 45% of Yorck Kino employees are on temporary contracts, with a €12.50 hourly entry-level wage.
Neither the protests nor the entry issues caused significant delay to the ceremony, which got underway shortly after the scheduled 19.30 start. However, a lengthy show, in which every festival jury was introduced, and every member of the Competition jury brought on stage for discussion, meant the lights didn’t go down on Miller’s US drama until well after 21.00.
The She Came To Me team in attendance included Miller, lead actors Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway, and producers including Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.
An array of festival directors and executives were also present, including Cannes’ Thierry Fremaux, Eugene Hernandez and Kim Yutani from Sundance, Rotterdam’s Vanja Kaludjercic, and Sarajevo’s Jovan Marjanovic.
Nineteen films are contending for the Golden and Silver Bears in this year’s Competition, with Rolf de Heer’s Australian title The Survival Of Kindness the first to debut, tomorrow at 15.45 CET.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s address
Dear organisers, participants, friend of Ukraine Sean Penn, and all the guests of the 73rd Berlin Film Festival, ladies and gentlemen. In preparing this address, I remembered a phrase that you are all well familiar with – break the fourth wall. An imaginary border between the screen and the viewer. At the same time, cinema is able to overcome high walls and barriers existing in the world – both real and ideological. It is enough to mention the story of the great German director Wim Wenders. He broke the Berlin wall 2 years before its actual fall, in the outstanding film Wings Of Desire, set in Berlin, where the divided city is united by angels flying freely over the wall. At that time Wenders couldn’t even imagine that one day, he would open the 50th Berlinale. It seems to me very symbolic – for many years Potsdamer square was cut through by the Berlin Wall – dividing west and east Berlin. It divided the free world, and the totalitarian. It is not only about state borders on the map; the wall divided world views, philosophies, different realms. Today, Russia wants to build the same wall in Ukraine – a wall between us and Europe. To separate Ukraine from its own choice and its own future
Between progress, and the ruins that Russia leaves behind; a wall between civilisation and the tyranny Russia has waged. A full-scale war against us for almost a year. For almost a year it has been shelling and destroying peaceful cities. For almost a year it has been killing people, killing women and children; threatening the world with a nuclear attack; provoking food, energy, environmental and other crises; crises on all continents. Can art be outside of all of this? Should cinema be outside of all of this? This is a rhetorical question; but today it is extremely relevant.
I was thinking about this last night when Russia launched yet another missive, a missile attack on Ukraine – 36 rockets and Iranian drones. Culture and cinema can be outside of politics; but not when there is a policy of aggression. Not when it is a policy of mass crimes, murders, terror. The desire to destroy other cultures and other peoples. When it is a policy of total war - under such circumstances and at such times, art cannot be neutral. Culture makes choices in times like this; culture chooses a side or speaks out in different ways. Fighting against the evil; or overlooks and remains silent – in fact helping the evil – when art is indifferent, in this silence, the loudspeakers of evil sound stronger and more convincingly. Of course in a global sense cinema cannot change the world; but it can influence and inspire people who can change the world. A good movie evokes emotions. Cinema causes change. In humanity’s struggle against any evil – there are always two voices, truth and propaganda. For a while, propaganda can muzzle the truth; but it is not able to win completely. Staying silent is being close to evil. The Berlinale made its choice, and confirmed the truth of my statement, professing principles of openness, quality, dialect without borders and cinema from all over the world. The Berlinale made its choice – institutions and persons supporting the Kremlin, and films made with Russian support were not permitted in this year’s festival. We appreciate it and are grateful for it; this is really important. This is justice. We are grateful for Ukraine support and attention to Ukraine, solidarity with Ukraine. Proof of this is in the official badge for participants and guests in the Berlinale – the golden bear, which this year has become blue and yellow. These are the colours of our flag. We will do everything to return him to his rightful place, and free our lands. Your support in this is important, and invaluable to us. Now there are thousands of kilometres between us, but we are side by side. We speak different languages, but there is complete understanding between us. Only a virtual border separates us, but there is no wall between us.
In 1951, the first Berlin film festival took place. This is a showcase of the free world; today Ukraine is a fortress of the free world; a fortress that has stood for almost a year; a fortress that protects itself, Europe and the world. A fortress that cannot fall; a fortress that will definitely stand – and will win. I know, and I believe it, that you will all be convinced of this, after seeing our Superpower – the superpower of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine.
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