This year's Berlin Film Festival was a focus for anti-US protests, and by none more so than US actors and directors, writes Derek Scally
The Berlin Film Festival hasn't been this politically charged since the days of the Cold War. There were hundreds of interesting films packed into 10 days as usual, but the real festival buzz this year surrounded the looming conflict in Iraq.
With Germany firmly opposed to a war, visiting Hollywood stars found fertile soil for their anti-Bush feelings. It was a shame that "Hanoi" Jane Fonda didn't make it. The winner of the Golden Bear award was also thematic: Michael Winterbottom's In This World tells the story of an escape from Afghanistan.
The highlight was Dustin Hoffman's spontaneous address to Cinema for Peace, a fund-raising gala for Unicef's Children in War Regions project. He said he was not anti-American, just against the politics coming from the White House since September 11th.
"The Vietnam war began with a lie: the apparent attack of the North Vietnamese on one of our warships, but that never happened. It was a lie, a propaganda fabrication to start the terrible war. Perhaps history is repeating itself now," said Hoffman, who asked why the United States is intent on attacking Iraq when North Korea poses a much greater threat. He also expressed doubt that the US was committed to rebuilding Iraq post Saddam Hussein.
Bob Geldof presented a special award to Danis Tanovic, the Bosnian director of the Oscar-winning anti-war satire No Man's Land. "The film shows the absolute absurdity of war and also the dubious role played by the media," said the Irish singer. Tanovic reminded the audience that "every solution is better than war. We paid a high price".
Roger Moore urged the assembled actors and directors to work to help the first victims of war - civilians. "I was in Germany in 1946. I remember the hungry children and their hollow faces. Unicef helped them," he said.
The former James Bond was later followed by one of his screen foes, Christopher Lee. The one-time man with the golden gun read from Mahatma Ghandi's 1941 letter to Hitler: "You are leaving no legacy to your people of which they would feel proud. They cannot take pride in a recital of cruel deeds, however skilfully planned. I therefore appeal to you in the name of humanity to stop the war."
The films in competition this year were a remarkably bleak bunch, looking at genocide, refugees, September 11th and the looming war in Iraq. "The films were characterised by a certain sadness, perhaps even a certain pessimism," said Margret Koehler, a German film critic.
The post-film press conferences, usually embarrassing collections of banal questions asked in broken English, turned into anti-war platforms for everyone from Richard Gere to Spike Lee.
They all praised the French and German governments for their resistance to the moves towards war of the US government.
"It's ludicrous to expect the whole world to follow what the [US\] wants. America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do," said Lee, who was presenting his film 25th Hour, set in post-September 11th New York. Edward Norton, the film's star, joined Lee in denouncing White House foreign policy.
"I hope the world community will continue to voice itself and apply pressure on the US government. American citizens have to do it too," he said, drawing thunderous applause from many of the 300 journalists.
As the festival wound down, more than 500,000 people took to the streets of Berlin in the largest anti-war demonstration seen in Germany since the second World War.
If this year's festival stays in the memory, it will be not because of the programme but because of US actors' attacks on their government for its attitude to Iraq.
As festival director Dieter Kosslick said: "Having Edward Norton and Dustin Hoffman speaking out all contributed, I think, to making this festival a statement for peace."
