The Berlinale has always been viewed as a deeply political forum, possibly the most politically charged of all major film festivals.
This year, despite the event taking place against a backdrop of deadly protests in the U.S. and the Epstein scandal, conflict in the Middle East, and Germany’s own ongoing grapple with the far-right party AfD, multiple high profile actors and jury members have avoided questions about domestic and international political crises. That despite the best efforts of journalists to engage actors and filmmakers on subjects of a political nature.
This situation played out again this lunchtime at the press conference for filmmaker George Jaques’ Generation title, Sunny Dancer, about a group of youngsters who find friendship at a summer camp for cancer survivors.
Neil Patrick Harris, Bella Ramsey, James Norton, Jessica Gunning, and Earl Cave are among cast in the film, which is composed by Este Haim.
At today’s press conference for the movie, Ramsey and Harris were asked by a journalist whether they consider their “art to be political, and if so, how can movies these days help fight the rise of fascism in Europe and in America”.
Filmmaker Jaques commented: “I think sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do is be optimistic. And we wanted to make a film about joy. I think, you know, there’s so much going on in the world right now, and I wanted to make something that really takes you somewhere else.”
Harris added: “I think we live in a in a strangely algorithmic and divided world right now. And so as artists, I’m always interested in doing things that are apolitical, because we’re all as humans wanting to connect in some way. That’s why we experience things together.”
A journalist from German public broadcaster ARD pushed back at Harris’ stance and also at the stance adopted by jury President Wim Wenders yesterday who said “We have to stay out of politics” when he was asked about the German government’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict. Festival head Tricia Tuttle at the same presser had also tried to steer the conversation away from political talk.
Today, the impassioned ARD journalist responded: “It’s embarrassing to say the film isn’t political. Without proper health insurance, I wouldn’t be here. I had cancer myself. So the film is political, and this festival must be political.”
Earlier in the day actress Michelle Yeoh had been asked by a reporter about the current state of the U.S., likely referring to the tense political and social climate in the country. Yeoh said: “I don’t think I am in the position to really talk about the political situation in the U.S., and also I cannot presume to say I understand how it is. So, best not to talk about something I don’t know about.” Yeoh, who is Malaysian and primarily lives in Switzerland but is well known for starring in a host of high-profile U.S. projects, added that she wanted to “concentrate on what is important for us, which is cinema.”
Journalists at today’s Sunny Dancer presser wouldn’t be deterred. A writer from German broadcaster ZDF asked Harris, as a U.S. citizen, whether he “dared criticize the U.S. government and whether he believes democracy is in danger in the U.S.”. The moderator interjected that the question wasn’t relevant to Sunny Dancer and Harris said he would rather discuss the film, before adding: “I make my own choices as a performer, as an artist…I feel more the jester in the castle. So while I have my own political opinions, which are my own, I think as a performer, especially in this kind of movie, it’s trying to be as inclusive as possible to as many people as possible. So I never read this script as a political statement.”
At that stage the festival moderator steered the conversation back to the movie.
The Last Of Us and Game Of Thrones star Ramsey told journalists in the room that making Sunny Dancer had inspired her to want to direct in the future and that the experience was the best “personal and professional” one she had had to date: “Sunny Dancer was honestly, like, the best experience I’ve had in my career so far. It will be very hard to top. It’s a big statement but it was probably the best professional six weeks, and also one of the best personal six weeks, of my frickin’ life.”