Todd Haynes, who is serving as Berlin Film Festival jury president, spoke out against Donald Trump’s administration as the fest kicked off on Thursday.
When asked his thoughts on Trump’s second term at the jury press conference, the “May December” director said bluntly: “We’re in a state of particular crisis right now in the United States, but also globally.”
He continued, “Everyone I know in the United States and friends abroad are witnessing this barrage of actions in the first three weeks of the Trump administration with tremendous concern, shock. I think that’s been part of the strategy, to create a sense of destabilization and shock among the people. So how we proceed toward coalescing different forms of resistance are still in the works and are still being figured out among Democrats. I have no doubt that there will be many people who did in fact vote for this president who will be quickly disillusioned by promises he made about economic stability in the U.S.”
Haynes also said that how Trump’s return “will affect filming is a real question hanging over all American filmmakers.”
“I think it’s a question that extends beyond the world of filmmaking, it’s how do you maintain your own integrity and point of view and speak out to the issues around us as forcefully and clearly as possible. And I think that remains to be seen. Always with filmmaking in particular, the financing question is complicated,” he said. “So it’s also about the kind of financiers who are willing to take risks and willing to support strong voices. And I think that exists, but again, it takes examples and positive outcomes to fortify those kinds of risks that people may want to take.”
Haynes was joined at the press conference by fellow jury members Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing, Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch (“Everybody Loves Touda”), German costume designer Bina Daigeler (“Tár”), Argentinian director Rodrigo Moreno (“The Delinquents”), American film critic Amy Nicholson and German actor-director Maria Schrader (“She Said”). It was moderated by Tricia Tuttle, the festival’s new artistic director.
This milestone edition is also unfolding amid political turmoil in Germany, taking place in the lead-up to crucial general elections on Feb. 23. The elections have been marked by the rise of right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which was a cause for controversy at last year’s Berlinale when its officials were invited — and then disinvited — from the opening ceremony.
When asked about the political climate, Schrader said: “I don’t want to fear anything. I want to celebrate these particular spaces, which are spaces for culture and the imaginary world … And I think the wonderful thing about these spaces are they are rooms where a question can be asked, controversy can start. We don’t need to come up with blunt answers, we can ask questions.”
Haynes echoed Schrader, saying that he “completely shares” her view on “embracing this festival, this moment that all of us have the privilege of partaking in: a look at what’s happening in cinema around the world at this moment. And coming from different places and having our own different lives and experiences as filmmakers and film artists also brings that kind of diversity.”
Earlier in the conference, Haynes, who is also an activist, talked about the role of filmmakers in raising issues through their work and reminisced about coming of age as a filmmaker against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic.
“There was a tremendous amount of activity, political activity and resistance on the streets,” he said. “As somebody in their 20s who was surrounded by this kind of public health catastrophe, watching every other person you know die of this incredibly aggressive illness, it produced that kind of political efficacy and a creative component where filmmakers responded to what was happening in all kinds of different ways. But it produced what was termed, at the time, the new queer cinema, and I was very proud of being part of that mantle of filmmaker because the films were not just challenging the system in content, they were also challenging traditional forms of storytelling in style and form.”
Haynes went on to say that “every film that is not part of a franchise, piece of content or a Marvel film or a major studio film, people are figuring out different forms of financing and different ways of speaking out.”
As the discussion concluded, Tuttle underlined that despite rising political tensions, the Berlinale is about building a sense of community and sharing a love for cinema. “The very fact that we’re here is an act of resistance,” Tuttle said. “We shouldn’t be scared of the fact that the world is in trouble.”
The festival will open on Thursday night with the premiere of Tom Tykwer’s new film, “Das Licht” (“The Light”). The film marks Tykwer’s return to the big screen after seven years and four seasons as writer and director of the hit series “Babylon Berlin.”
The Berlin Film Festival runs through Feb. 23.
