Star uprising against Green politician Claudia Roth (68)! Reason: A change of personnel at the Berlinale, which even gets Hollywood stars upset.
The contract of the artistic director of the Berlin Film Festival, Carlo Chatrian (51), was not renewed – and that even upsets the Hollywood stars. i.a. Legendary director Martin Scorsese (“Shutter Island”, “Wolf of Wall Street”) is now attacking Claudia Roth!
In a letter signed by more than 400 directors to the Green politician, it says: “We protest against the harmful, unprofessional and immoral behavior of Minister of State Claudia Roth, who is forcing the esteemed artistic director Carlo Chatrian to withdraw.” It is not apparent that she will find a better person for the position.
Another star signatory of the call: actress and director Kristen Stewart (33).
Claudia Roth is Minister of State for Culture and Head of the Supervisory Board of the Federal Cultural Events in Berlin (KBB) GmbH. The Berlinale is incorporated into the KBB. Roth’s word should therefore have weight in the contract decision – and the reason why the directing stars turn directly to the Green politician.
Hollywood director Martin Scorsese (80)
The protest letter shows how much Carlo Chatrian is valued by filmmakers worldwide. They are now insisting that he keep his post at the Berlinale film festival: “We hereby urge the Minister to extend Carlo Chatrian’s tenure and repair the damage done to this important film festival.”
Chatrian has been Artistic Director of the Berlinale since 2019. After the Berlinale next year, the festival is to be rolled out again.
The Berlinale is considered one of the most important film festivals in Europe. This year’s edition of the festival included Steven Spielberg, Matt Damon and Kristen Stewart.