The head of Berlin’s international film festival will stay in the post despite controversy over a film director’s anti-Israel remarks at the event, the German culture minister’s office said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Tricia Tuttle had been under fire from some politicians after the comments by Syrian-Palestinian filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib, with some media reporting that culture minister Wolfram Weimer had sought to oust her from the job.<\/p>\n
But after a meeting of the board of the state-owned KBB — the company that runs the Berlinale — on Wednesday, Weimer’s office said in a statement that it welcomed Tuttle’s willingness to “continue her work”.<\/p>\n
Angry rows over the Israel-Palestinian conflict have repeatedly rocked the Berlinale, held every February as Europe’s first major film festival of the year.<\/p>\n
This year, Khatib’s comments at the closing ceremony accusing Germany of being complicit in “genocide” in Gaza provoked outrage from some German politicians.<\/p>\n
Tuttle also faced criticism for posing for a photo with some of the team behind Khatib’s film, “Chronicles from the Siege”.<\/p>\n
But Weimer on Wednesday said Tuttle had “put a great deal of energy into setting a new course” at the festival, which she has led for the past two years.<\/p>\n
“I thank her for her willingness to continue on this path,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I welcome today’s decision by the supervisory board to reaffirm its confidence in my leadership of the Berlinale,” Tuttle said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Weimer added that the board of the KBB had laid out recommendations `for “strengthening” the festival, including a new code of conduct.<\/p>\n
“The board has issued a number of recommendations, which we will carefully consider,” Tuttle said.<\/p>\n
Controversy surrounded this year’s Berlinale almost from the beginning, after the jury president, acclaimed German director Wim Wenders, responded to a question about Gaza by saying cinema should “stay out of politics”.<\/p>\n
Heated debate about Wenders’ comments followed, with award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy withdrawing from the festival and denouncing his remarks.<\/p>\n
Tuttle received support from thousands of filmmakers after German tabloid Bild reported that Weimer was trying to remove her from the job.<\/p>\n
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