The Berlin Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, is one of the "Big Five", a term coined for the most prestigious film festivals in the world. It was established in 1951 and has since expanded to multiple venues across Berlin.In recent news about the Berlin Film Festival, the organization has released a response addressing the criticism levied at President Wim Wenders after his response to a question about the Israel-Gaza conflict. It described the criticism as a "media storm." Wenders shared that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics…We are the counterweight of politics, the opposite of politics; we have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians.”After his comments surfaced online, many social media users were taken aback, and some participants subsequently even chose to withdraw from attending. As part of Berlinale’s response to the media frenzy, festival head Tricia Tuttle then penned On Speaking, Cinema and Politics, a “reflection” on the role of actors and filmmakers involving themselves in political and societal discourse as part of the organisation’s overall communiqué. The following is an excerpt from her piece:“Artists are free to exercise their right of free speech in whatever way they choose. Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control. Nor should they be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to.”It seems the Berlin Film Festival organization is making a concerted effort to respond to any backlash from Wenders’ divisive comments.More on Tricia Tuttle’s Berlin Film Festival messageIn response to the overwhelming reaction to Wenders’ claims, Tricia Tuttle was sure to give a nuanced take on her perspective. In her On Speaking, Cinema and Politics, she noted that free speech is different from feeling forced by outside forces to speak on a matter.“People have called for free speech at the Berlinale. Free speech is happening at the Berlinale. But increasingly, filmmakers are expected to answer any question put to them. They are criticised if they do not answer. They are criticised if they answer and we do not like what they say. They are criticised if they cannot compress complex thoughts into a brief sound bite when a microphone is placed in front of them when they thought they were speaking about something else.”She also went on to add,“There are also filmmakers who come to the Berlinale with different political aims: to ask how we can talk about art as art, and how we can keep cinemas alive so that independent films still have a place to be seen and discussed. In a media environment dominated by crisis, there is less oxygen left for serious conversation about film or culture at all, unless it can be folded as well into a news agenda.”It’s unclear how the situation at the Berlin Film Festival will play out, despite the organisation’s effort to clarify its stance on Wenders’ statement.