Rabat – Two films by Arab filmmakers took top honors at the 76th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, in a ceremony marked by emotional speeches and strong political statements advocating for a free Palestine.
Opening the ceremony, Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle acknowledged the charged atmosphere, describing the 2026 edition as deeply affected by global events.
“This year’s festival has felt raw and fractured,” she said, noting that many participants arrived in Berlin “with grief and anger and urgency about the world that takes place outside the cinema walls.”
“That grief, that anger and that urgency is real and belongs in our community. We hear you,” Tuttle added.
Lebanese director Marie-Rose Osta was awarded the Golden Bear for Best Short Film for “Someday, a child.”
In her acceptance speech, she denounced Israeli bombings in her home country and what she described as a “collapse of international law” in the region.
“In reality children in Gaza, in all of Palestine, and in my Lebanon do not have superpowers to protect them from Israeli bombs,” she said.
“No child should need superpowers to survive a genocide empowered by veto powers and the collapse of international law … If this Golden Bear means anything, let it mean that Lebanese and Palestinian children are not negotiable.
Palestinian filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib also took home a major prize, winning Best Documentary for “Chronicles from a Siege.”
Taking the stage with a Palestinian flag, he directly criticized the German government, accusing it of complicity in what he described as genocide in Gaza.
“We will remember everyone who stood with us, and we will remember everyone who stood against us, against our right to live with dignity, or those who chose to be silent. Free Palestine from now until the end of the world,” he emphasized.
The awards ceremony unfolded against a backdrop of ongoing controversy surrounding this year’s Berlinale.
Many artists and attendees had publicly called on the festival to take a clearer stance on Palestine, highlighting growing tensions within the global film community.
