Arundhati Roy Boycotts Berlin Film Festival Over Gaza Comments

Arundhati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning author, has announced her withdrawal from the Berlin International Film Festival following controversial remarks made by the jury members about the Gaza conflict. She was originally scheduled to attend for the screening of her 1989 film 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones'.

Roy expressed shock at the jury's assertion that art should remain apolitical, a standpoint she vehemently opposes. 'Hearing them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping. It silences vital conversations about ongoing crimes against humanity,' Roy stated in a public statement.

The festival's jury, led by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, was asked about global political issues during a press event. Wenders and others suggested filmmakers should remain separate from politics, a view Roy described as disturbingly complicit in ignoring the genocide against Palestinians. She critiqued several nations, including the US and Germany, for their roles in the conflict.