New Delhi: In a dramatic close to the Berlin Film Festival, Ilker Catak’s powerful drama Yellow Letters clinched the top Golden Bear award amid heated debates over Gaza and free speech.
The win highlights a tense edition shadowed by global politics, with bold statements from winners and protests shaking the red carpet. Jury chief Wim Wenders hailed it as a chilling warning on rising authoritarianism.
Golden Bear triumph
Yellow Letters, directed by German-Turkish filmmaker Ilker Catak, won the Golden Bear for best film on Saturday. The political drama follows a Turkish director and his actor wife, suddenly banned from work due to their views. Jury president Wim Wenders praised it, saying, “This is a movie that speaks up very clearly about the political language of totalitarianism as opposed to the empathetic language of cinema.” He called it “a terrifying premonition, a look into the near future that could happen in our countries as well.”
Catak, thrilled by the honour, told Wenders, “It’s such an incredible thing to receive this award from you,” adding that the jury president is “one of my teachers.”
Silver Bear HIGHLIGHTS
Turkish director Emin Alper’s Salvation earned the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. In his speech, Alper voiced solidarity with jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and others in Turkey. He also supported “the people of Iran suffering under tyranny” and “the Palestinians in Gaza living and dying under the most terrible conditions.”
German actress Sandra Hueller won Best Performance Silver Bear for her role in Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, a tale of a woman posing as a man in 17th-century Germany to defy patriarchy. American Lance Hammer’s Queen at Sea, starring Juliette Binoche as a caregiver for her dementia-stricken mother, grabbed two awards. Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall shared Best Supporting Performance for their roles, while the film also took the Silver Bear Jury Prize.
Festival amid controversy
The event faced backlash over Gaza. Wenders earlier said, “We cannot really enter the field of politics,” sparking outrage from figures like Arundhati Roy, who called his words “unconscionable.” An open letter by Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, and others accused the festival of silence on Palestinians.
Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle defended openness, stating, “Speaking up is part of democracy. We respect people speaking out because it takes a lot of courage to do it.” Iranian director Jafar Panahi also spoke out, saying, “An unbelievable crime has happened. Mass murder has happened. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones.”