‘Genocide is taking place in Gaza’: Director’s Gaza comments ignite political tension at Berlin Film Festival

Director Emin Alper used the premiere of his film ''Kurtuluş'' at the Berlin Film Festival to draw attention to the war in Gaza, declaring that "genocide is taking place in Gaza" despite earlier warnings from festival jury president Wim Wenders about political messaging.

"Kurtuluş is a film about how a community can commit terrible crimes. History is full of such stories... Unfortunately, so is the present. Today, we are witnessing Israel's genocide in Gaza. The only thing that can stop these crimes is a strong reaction from the world, but we have abandoned Palestine," Alper said at the gala screening during the festival's main competition.

He added: "Whether Western powers that have become complicit in this crime or autocratic states outside the West, we cannot rely on governments. We must rely only on ourselves and the people of the world, remain vigilant, stand up together, and become the power of change."

The film, shot in the villages of Kırkat in Batman and Killit (Dereiçi) in the Mardin province of Türkiye, stars Caner Cindoruk, Berkay Ateş, Feyyaz Duman, and Naz Göktan and explores a land dispute between the village guard Hazeran tribe and the Bezari families returning years after being forced to leave.

The remarks came amid ongoing debate at the festival after Wenders was previously asked about Gaza and Germany's support for Israel.

His response drew criticism, stating: "As filmmakers we should stay outside politics; because if we consciously make political films, we enter the domain of politics. Whereas we are the counterweight to politics. We must do what is human, not the work of politicians."