Festival directors discuss imperative to show “uncomfortable films”, gap between festival and commercial cinema

Screening “uncomfortable and divisive films” remains part of the remit of film festivals even in a politically fraught climate, according to four leading festival directors in conversation at the Sarajevo Film Festival this week. 

“Part of our role is to find and back voices that sometimes make people uncomfortable,” said Tricia Tuttle, festival director of the Berlin International Film Festival. “That is one of the things festivals can do.

“We are not just idea factories. Cinemas and festivals have always been spaces where you can start difficult conversations. What I love about what filmmakers can do for these difficult conversations is show us something so much more complex than what a news piece can do.

“There is something that happens between language that is so powerful. We have to show uncomfortable films.”

Tuttle was speaking on the CineLink Industry Days panel titled ‘Gatekeepers or Gardeners? How Major Festivals Cultivate and Curate the Global Film Ecosystem’.

Several international festivals have experienced controversy over programming or awards selections, or protests around political issues in recent years, with an increase in such incidents since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and subsequent Israeli siege of Gaza.

Jovan Marjanovic, Sarajevo Film Festival director, suggested “the last two years have become overly politicised. Festivals should be political. We have brought it upon ourselves, but we need to calm down a little. It is hard, but it’s manageable.”

Marjanovic noted the distinction between news reporting and films. “It’s important to make the distinction that festivals are not your source of news. [Film] is a way to get a broader picture and reflect. If we communicate that, we will reduce the amount of tension created by social media and sometimes fake news.

“If you understand festivals as places to communicate, we will be more successful in doing what we’re supposed to do.”

Town hall

The panel, hosted by Screen, also included Vanja Kaludjercic, festival director at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), and Frederic Boyer, artistic director at both Tribeca Film Festival in New York and France’s Les Arcs Film Festival.

Kaludjercic has been in charge at IFFR since 2021, and spoke about measures she has introduced to help festival staff handle politically sensitive topics and potential flashpoints.

“We have a town hall meeting where everything is discussed with team members, freelancers, and the whole team,” said Kaludjercic. “If we recognise there is a bigger dilemma, a bigger criticism within the team, or a desire to learn more about something, we respond to that.

“We organise debates where people can express their opinions, no matter how contrasting they are to each other. We are willing to learn and still continue to be a team.”

Tuttle credited the Berlinale’s chief of staff Florian Weghorn with developing the moderation training course attended by festival staff last year, which she said gave people “more confidence in contested spaces”.

“It wasn’t ever to stop any conversation, but to recognise that people sometimes feel hurt by things that get said in an audience,” said Tuttle. “They gave people the confidence to go into a very difficult film festival for us last year, and I definitely want to keep doing that.”

Challenge

Of concern to Tuttle is the “growing chasm between festivals and cinemagoing”, which she acknowledged is a major challenge for the industry.

“We have to figure out how to gain more visibility, and that’s through working together more than we do now [between different festivals],” said Tuttle “But also figuring out how to communicate with audiences through social media, specifically younger audiences between 18-30.”

Campaigning for greater investment in film releases will also help close the gap, said the director. “Any of us who are lucky to live in countries with public funding need to lobby hard for investment, maybe even less investment in production and more investment in exhibition and distribution, because that’s where the biggest problem is,” said Tuttle.

She cited the recent example of Dag Johan Haugerud’s Berlinale 2025 Golden Bear-winner Dreams, which opened in the UK two weeks ago and has grossed just £6,866 to date. 

“If you don’t have screens for the Golden Bear winner, then how are audiences going to find that film?” said Tuttle. “This intervention is something essential globally.”

Another factor is the decline of specialised film press, according to the Berlinale head. “We’ve been talking about this for 20 years, the diminishing inches for writing about film that are not celebrity-based or news and agenda-based,” said Tuttle. “This has all but disappeared now, and I think as critical as screen space is visibility and making sure audiences are aware of films.”

The CineLink Industry Days continues until August 21, with the festival concluding on August 22.

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