The festival opened under a cloud of controversy after German filmmaker and this year’s jury president Wim Wenders made remarks on the relationship between art and politics, particularly regarding Gaza, prompting boycotts and a series of open letters from across the film industry.
Last week, the Palestinian Film Institute, one of the groups that boycotted the Berlinale this year, criticized what it described as the festival's failure to put Arab and Palestinian works and causes at the centre of its program.
“For the third year, we hoped that the Berlinale would protect filmmakers engaged against the genocide in Gaza. Noting the absence of concrete measures — particularly regarding an end to police collaboration affecting freedom of expression — the Palestinian Film Institute reiterates its demands and calls for international solidarity,” a statement published on its official page reads.
Amid this charged atmosphere, veteran Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass emerged as a compelling voice, using every opportunity to counter Wenders’ remarks and affirm that cinema cannot be divorced from political realities.
Abbass had a particularly strong presence at this edition of the Berlinale, with two films in the festival’s official selection.
She competed for the Golden Bear in the main competition with the Tunisian-French production À voix basse (In a Whisper), directed by Leyla Bouzid. The film follows a woman returning to Tunisia, navigating family secrets and personal identity, and highlights Abbass’s nuanced ability to convey complex emotional landscapes.
She also starred in Lebanese director Danielle Arbid’s Only Rebels Win, which premiered in the Panorama section.
Set in Beirut, the film unfolds around an unexpected love and examines themes of identity, belonging, and personal aspiration, further demonstrating Abbass’s versatility and commitment to stories that explore the human dimension of contemporary political and social issues.
During her remarks at the press conference for In a Whisper, Abbass emphasized in a firm tone that, today more than ever, she believes artists have an obligation to be political.
She explained, “I no longer believe in the idea of art for art’s sake as something isolated from reality, we live in a very dangerous period affecting everyone, Westerners, Arabs, and people everywhere.” Abbass stressed that this context imposes an ethical responsibility on artists, as creativity cannot be separated from the issues shaking societies and reshaping them.
“We are all facing fascism in a very, very significant way. Today, if we, as artists, do not express our responsibility through our work, if we do not bring forward subjects that provoke thought, stir emotions, and challenge our certainties about life and our values, which evolve almost daily, then I am simply not interested in that form of art,” she said.
Abbass clarified that being political is being aware of one’s position, understanding historical and social circumstances, and recognizing the impact that art can have on public discourse, especially in times of rising polarization and crises.
The Identity of a Voice
At the 2026 Berlinale, Abbass also took part in a special Berlinale Talents event titled The Identity of a Voice: In Conversation with Hiam Abbass, moderated by film curator and advisor for the Selection of the Official Program of the Berlinale Rabih El-Khoury.
The discussion went beyond Abbass’s filmography. She reflected on her expansive, multifaceted career across film, theatre and television, and spoke openly about how she chooses projects that give voice to underrepresented perspectives and lived experience.
In the talk, El-Khoury and Abbass traced her artistic journey from early work in Middle Eastern cinema to collaborations with internationally acclaimed directors, explaining how she approaches performance and selection of roles. She emphasized the importance of giving characters a voice that resonates across cultural and political boundaries, a theme that resonates strongly against the backdrop of this year’s charged festival debates.
“Let’s stop cheating ourselves by saying that cinema or art is not there to serve, or that cinema should not be political. I don’t agree.” Abbass said during the In Conversation, “There is nothing wrong with choosing to be apolitical. That is a right. But when it comes to taking a stand and becoming a voice, excuse me, you have to be political.”
“Nowadays, you cannot be Palestinian, Tunisian, Lebanese, you cannot be Arab, you cannot be German, or English, you cannot be American without being political," she confirmed.
Adding, “I am Arab, and I’m very proud to be. And therefore, I have a responsibility towards my Palestinian side and my Arab side. So if I can keep serving this, I’m very happy.”
Abbass reflected on how the Western world often generalizes Arab identity, assuming that “an Arab is an Arab,” despite the rich diversity across Arab countries.
She recalled an early moment in her career: “I remember very early in my career, I was in a large theatre introducing a film, and the person hosting the event asked me: ‘What do you think about the situation of the Arab woman in the Arab world?'," as she pointed to the generalisations and simplifications that are embedded in such questions.
She added that the same simplification occurs when people refer to “the Muslim world,” ignoring the fact that there are Muslims and Christians in Arab countries, and Muslims who are not Arab.
Abbass described how she often finds herself in a position of constantly educating people about this diversity, reflecting on the frustration it can create. “You constantly find yourself in a position of having to teach, and you end up asking: why is it like this?” Abbass said.
She explained that those identities have to be distinguished, “If I can serve these identities, if I can show the world, every time I speak about these characters, that Salma in Palestine, is not Leila in a Tunisian film, and not Nadine in a Lebanese film, that every woman has her own identity, that would be great.”
She concluded saying: “Yes, we all come from the same humanity. We share the same feelings and the same emotional system. But we still have different identities. We have different accents, different codes, different stories, and different politics.”
Hiam Abbass, born 30 November 1960, is a Palestinian actress and film director with Israeli and French citizenship.
She is known for her roles in films such as The Syrian Bride (2004), Paradise Now (2005), Free Zone (2005), Munich (2005), The Visitor (2007), Lemon Tree (2008), Insyriated (2017), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
She gained prominence for her role as Marcia Roy in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023) for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
She has also acted in the Channel 4 series The Promise (2011), the Lifetime miniseries The Red Tent (2014), the Hulu comedy series Ramy (2019–present), and the Hulu drama series The Old Man (2022).
Photo: Mona Sheded
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