Stars like Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy – and protests against the AfD

First, on Thursday evening, a few actors walk hand in hand along the red carpet in front of the Berlinale Palace, then there are more and more of them. And while the fans are waiting for global stars like Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Matt Damon, a long human chain suddenly forms with actresses like Katja Riemann and Jella Haase. Their cell phones light up, they shout to the crowd: “Long live democracy!” Later, top model Papis Loveday holds up a sign on the red carpet: “No Racism, no AfD”.

It is one of many signs against the right at the celebratory gala opening of the 74th Berlinale. The messages tower above many things, the opening film and the festival are a little neglected in the evening at the Berlinale Palast.

Photo gallery

“Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy is welcomed by fans at Potsdamer Platz.Markus Schreiber/AP

Berlinale bosses Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian on the red carpetAFP/John MacDougall

One of the first guests: soccer world champion Philipp Lahm with his wife ClaudiaJohn MacDougall/AFP

Demo against the right with a chain of lights and people in front of the Berlinale PalaceGerald Matzka/dpa

This is how model and blogger Caro Daur presents herself on the red carpet.John MacDougall/AFP

Klaus Biesenbach (left), director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, Donata Wenders, photographer, and director Wim WendersGerald Matzka/dpa

The German model Toni Garrn in probably the most striking dressJohn MacDougall/AFP

Actress Hannah Herzsprung on the red carpet at the BerlinaleJens Kalaene/dpa

Sought after by photographers at Potsdamer Platz: actress Jella HaaseJens Kalaene/dpa

The audience knows her from the crime scene: the Berliner Alyin Tezel.Jens Kalaene/dpa

Always there and this time all in black: actress Veronica FerresGerald Matzka/dpa

Of course, regular guest Iris Berben should not be missing.John MacDougall/AFP

Christiane Paul also came to the opening gala.Gerald Matzka/dpa

Of course at the start on the red carpet: Lars EidingerJohn MacDougall/AFP

The protest against the AfD cannot be overlooked in the evening: the Senegalese model Papis Loveday and actress Pheline Roggan take a stand with this sign.John MacDougall/AFP

Actress Luisa-Céline Gaffron wrote the names of the victims of the right-wing extremist terrorist attack in Hanau on her hands.Hannes P. Albert/dpa

Everyone has been waiting for these global stars: Cillian Murphy (right) and Matt Damon in front of the Berlinale Palast.Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) speaks on the opening evening.Jens Kalaene/dpa

President of the international Berlinale jury: actress Lupita Nyong’oRonny Hartmann/AFP

Lupita Nyong’o’s outfit was impressive.Markus Schreiber/AP

The trigger was the AfD politicians from Berlin who were first invited and later disinvited. After the revelations by the media company Correctiv about a meeting of radical right-wingers on November 25th in Potsdam, at which AfD politicians as well as individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Values ​​Union spoke about “remigration”, the waves ran high. The festival management took action.

The Berlinale bosses, Carlo Chatrian and managing director Mariëtte Rissenbeek, are once again positioning themselves at the gala. Anyone who wants foreigners out has no place at the Berlinale, says Rissenbeek on the carpet.

Lupita Nyong’o, Berlinale jury presidentMarkus Schreiber/AP

“Hate is not on our guest list,” the outgoing Berlinale boss repeated two hours later to the more than 1,000 invited guests who applauded her vigorously. She continues: The AfD wanted to deport people with a migration background, “we cannot tolerate that.” The festival will defend a free, democratic basic order. She wants a Berlinale of solidarity.

The moderators Hadnet Tesfai and Jo Schück also take up the issue and warn against intolerance. “Be a human being,” Schück quotes the sentence of Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer, which was recently said by TV legend Marcel Reif, 74, at the memorial hour for the victims of National Socialism in the Bundestag, touching many people.

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth also expresses herself clearly: “We live in a time that threatens to overwhelm us all because of the crises.” She recalls the war in Ukraine, the terrorist regime in Iran and the Middle East conflict, “the barbaric attacks by Hamas -Terrorists on peace-loving people” at a festival. “A horror that still continues,” said Roth. It builds a bridge to the anti-Semitic incidents in Germany. “Our democracy is threatened by enemies of democratic society. They want hatred and ugliness.” This must be countered with empathy and courage, including with protests against the right.

Kai Wegner, Berlin’s governing mayor, is also among the speakers. He speaks of Berlin as a radiant cultural metropolis and praises the event as “a homage to the creativity, diversity and magic of film”. The film festival transforms Berlin “into a vibrant center for art and culture”. The festival also stands for freedom, cosmopolitanism and democracy. “The AfD doesn’t stand for any of that,” said CDU politician Wegner.

Wegner thanked the outgoing management duo Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian in advance, who are organizing the film festival as directors for the last time this year. Both of them “led the event through difficult years” and “also gave it a political character,” said Berlin’s head of government.

But there are also other voices at the festival about the AfD politicians who were disinvited. Director Christian Petzold, who is part of the Berlinale jury this year, commented on this on Thursday morning: “I think it’s not a problem to have five people from the AfD in the audience. We are not cowards. If we can’t stand the fact that five people from the AfD are sitting in the audience, we will lose our fight.”

The jury president, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, emphasizes: “In the 48 hours that I have been here, one of the things that is mentioned again and again is how political the Berlinale is.”

In addition to the political protests, there is of course also glamour: Berlinale regular guests like Christiane Paul and top model Toni Garrn walk across the carpet. But they are also there: the actresses Saoirse Ronan (“Lady Bird”), Iris Berben, who comes arm in arm with Michel Friedman, as well as Liv Lisa Fries, Vicky Krieps, Lars Eidinger, who stars in this year’s competition film “Die”, just like his film colleague Lilith Stangenberg.

There are other stars on the guest list, even those outside of the theater, such as ex-footballer Philipp Lahm. Or politicians like Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who comes to the gala with his new girlfriend, the journalist Elisabeth Niejahr. Also seen: Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus, Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey, but also Senator for Social Affairs Cansel Kiziltepe.

And she is also at the gala – the upcoming Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle, who is here unofficially. She has not yet taken office.

Karl Lauterbach (SPD) walks the carpet with his new girlfriend, the journalist Elisabeth Niejahr, on the opening night of the Berlinale.Gerald Matzka/dpa

There is a screech alarm when Hollywood star Matt Damon and Cillian Murphy appear. The actors eagerly sign autographs and have their photos taken with fans. Murphy made a declaration of love to the capital that morning. “I love Berlin, this is my fifth time at the Berlin Film Festival,” said the 47-year-old on Thursday at a press conference for the Berlinale opening film “Small Things Like These”. He added: “I love coming here, so I always make time for it.”

Murphy, who is hoping for an Oscar in March for his leading role in “Oppenheimer,” is presenting the Irish-Belgian drama by director Tim Mielants at the festival. It’s the opening film, very depressing with a taciturn Murphy as a coal dealer. In the evening the invited guests see him at the gala. Matt Damon is the producer. The film adaptation is about the decades-long exploitation of women in church institutions in Ireland.

The Berlinale 2024 runs until February 25th. Until then there will be pure cinema – and lots of parties. 233 films from 80 countries will be shown. A total of 20 films are in the running for the Golden Bear. Star director Martin Scorsese will receive the Honorary Golden Bear this year.