Cimatheque, an alternative film center in Cairo announced its official withdrawal from the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in coordination with the heirs of filmmaker Atteyat Al-Abnoudy and Sudanese director Hussein Shariffe, as a response to the Palestine Film Institute’s call urging filmmakers to boycott the festival.
The move came in reaction to remarks by German director and festival jury president Wim Wenders, about the genocide in Gaza, in which he called for keeping cinema away from politics. Tamer El-Said, Cimatheque founder and director told Al Manassa that “filmmaking is inherently a political act.”
Under the decision, according to a center statement posted last Friday, screenings of restored versions of the films “Sad Song of Touha” and “The Dislocation of Amber” at the festival were canceled.
El-Said said the two films were set to screen in the “Forum Expanded” program organized by the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art, a program that is not run directly by the Berlin festival administration.
El-Said said Cimatheque’s withdrawal decision preceded Wenders’ remarks, and was unanimous and made without hesitation. “We felt uncomfortable participating when we read the Palestine Film Institute statement,” he said, adding, “Wim Wenders’ remarks made us even more comfortable with the decision because they proved the double standards at the Berlin festival.”
When Wenders was asked about his position on German government support for Israel in its assault on Gaza at the festival’s opening press conference last Thursday, he said, “We have to stay out of politics,” describing filmmakers as the “counterweight of politics.”
Last month, the Palestine Film Institute announced it would not take part in the Berlin festival for a third year in a row, criticizing what it described as the festival administration’s “institutional silence” on the genocide in Gaza, and accusing the festival of refusing “to defend the freedom of speech and expression of filmmakers.”
The Palestine Film Institute accused the festival administration of working with German police to monitor and investigate pro-Palestine speech at cultural events, citing incidents that took place during the 2025 edition of the festival.
“Our message is clear, as stated in the Cimatheque statement. We stand in solidarity with the call issued by the Palestine Film Institute, and we don’t want to be part of the festival in any way, near or far, and we feel that this makes us more consistent with ourselves,” El-Said explained to Al Manassa.
El-Said said he disagreed with Wenders’ remarks, describing them as deeply disappointing, adding that “everything about cinema is inherently political.”
Indian writer Arundhati Roy also withdrew from the festival, calling Wenders’ remarks “unconscionable.”
Asked about the withdrawal and its impact on Cimatheque’s relationship with other European festivals, El-Said said, “We didn’t think about the repercussions or consequences, but we thought more about what felt comfortable for us, and for films that carry the names of directors like Atteyat Al Abnoudy and Hussein Shariffe.”
“They fully understood our decision, and truly didn’t exert any pressure of any kind,” said Said on the Arsenal Institute’s reaction after Cinematheque’s withdrawal. “ On the contrary, there was great respect for our stance and an understanding of the reasons that pushed us to withdraw,” El-Said added.
The 76th Berlin International Film Festival is being held from Feb. 12 to 22, 2026, amid major shifts and international division on both the political and cultural levels.
