Buzzy Titles, the Politics Row: Unpicking the 2026 Berlin Film Festival - The Screen Podcast

Why It Matters

The twin programming and political pressures shape Berlin’s ability to attract major industry deals, influence awards-season trajectories and manage reputational risk for filmmakers and buyers. How Tuttle balances art-house credibility, commercial appeal and festival governance will determine Berlin’s market clout in coming years.

Summary

Berlin Film Festival 2026 under new director Trisha Tuttle showed signs of programming renewal but still lacks the consistent, high-profile titles that attract buyers and awards-season momentum. Standouts included Sandra Hüller’s German drama Rose, which earned strong critical praise, while buzzy market titles such as Amy Adams’s At the Sea, Kareem I. News’s Rose Bush Pruning and Charlie XCX’s The Moment produced mixed reviews. A low-scoring genre entry, Nightbor, nonetheless impressed as a commercially promising pick, highlighting a gap between critics’ tastes and sales potential. The festival was also overshadowed by a late-breaking open letter about Gaza and ensuing political debate, which Tuttle addressed publicly.

Original Description

In this week's episode of The Screen Podcast, the team unpick what exactly is going on at the 2026 Berlin film festival - from politics to parties, and the highlights from the programme and market so far.

Screen's contributing editor Wendy Mitchell is joined by deputy editor and senior UK and international reporter Ben Dalton to discuss the political row unfolding over the festival's stance on the war in Gaza and claims of censorship.

"It feels unfortunate that it has fallen on Tricia Tuttle as the festival director who is only halfway through her second year in the role," said Dalton.

"[She] issued what many considered on Saturday to be a very considered statement trying to protect the interests of the festival but also to represent it as a place of discussion and of politics and of speech but just not where that is a necessity, where people can do that should they wish."

Elsewhere, the team talk about the buzzy titles coming out of the festival, their future success and why so few deals are being done on the ground.

"The US sellers came in and were doing meetings from the Monday, which drew everybody in early," said Tutt.

"They go to market screenings of the other competition films so they've seen everything. And now they're just waiting for the reviewers' verdict on these."

The Screen Podcast is produced and edited by Ellie Calnan with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director. New episodes every Thursday.

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