Red carpet moments and politics at the Berlinale 2026

The festival's opening film, "No Good Men," is said to be the "first Afghan romantic comedy." It features an unusual combination of feel-good feminist vibes amid the Taliban takeover of Aghanistan in 2021. Director Shahrbanoo Sadat, who also has a lead role in the film, poses with co-stars, Anwar Hashimi and the young Liam Hussaini, on the red carpet before the world premiere held on February 12.

The German director of cult films including "Wings of Desire" (1987) and the Oscar-nominated "Perfect Days" (2023) has been recognized with prizes around the world. Now, along with his fellow jurors, he will be deciding who will win the Berlinale's top awards, the Golden and Silver Bears. But beyond his role in the jury, it was a statement on politics that drew the media's attention.

The Indian author was expected in Berlin, but Roy has withdrawn from the festival following Wim Wenders' press conference statement that filmmakers "have to stay out of politics." Reacting to the social media storm, festival director Tricia Tuttle noted that the quote distorted Wenders' values, and that free speech also includes the right to "not be expected to comment on all broader debates."

Tilda Swinton, who received the Honorary Golden Bear last year, is among the 80 signatories of an open letter published in Variety on Tuesday. The actors and directors condemn the Berlinale for its "anti-Palestinian racism." Denouncing Wim Wenders' comment, they also urge organizers to clearly state their opposition to "Israel's genocide" in Gaza.

Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh, winner of the 2023 Oscar for best actress for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear this year. Asked to comment on US politics at the festival's press conference, the actress — who primarily lives in Switzerland — said she didn't feel "in the position to really talk about the political situation in the US."

Starring in competition entry "In a Whisper," French-Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass commented on the festival row, noting that Wenders' remarks were "taken out of context," since he did mention that cinema can "change the world" — but that filmmakers shouldn't be drawn into party politics. Still, for the star of "Succession," "everything we do is a political act."

Hawke stars in the Depression-era drama "The Weight," which celebrated its European premiere in Berlin. Also asked about stars' responsibility to speak out on political topics like fascism, the actor first joked that "a bunch of jet-lagged, drunk artists" are probably "the last place you want to look" to obtain guidance. But, he concluded, "anything that fights fascism, I'm all for it."

Another star at the festival is British pop icon Charli xcx, who plays a semi-fictional version of herself in "The Moment," a mockumentary directed by Aidan Zamiri. The film is described as "a chaotic, self-aware reflection on fame, identity and artistic pressure." Amid heated the debate on the role of politics in cinema, Charli applauded the festival for "not shying away from political films."

In "Sunny Dancer," which premieres in Berlin on February 13, the star of "The Last of Us," Bella Ramsey (second from left), plays the role of a teenager affected by cancer who reluctantly attends a camp with other kids battling with the illness. Neil Patrick Harris (far right) also stars in the coming-of-age movie. They pose here with producer Ken Petrie and director George Jaques.

Pamela Anderson was on the red carpet to celebrate the premiere of "Rosebush Pruning," directed by Karim Ainouz, in which she plays the mother of an extremely wealthy, dysfunctional family. The film also stars Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell and Tracy Letts.

Also supporting the world premiere of "Rosebush Pruning," Callum Turner showed up on Berlin's red carpet with his fiancée, pop superstar Dua Lipa. The couple's presence at the festival not only added a touch of glamour to the event, but also of romance, since it happened to be right on Valentine's Day.

"Harry Potter" fans lined up along the red carpet to get a selfie with the English actor for the world premiere of "Nightborn." Grint attended the festival alongside his Finnish co-star, Seidi Haarla. They portray a couple with a newborn child, but something is terribly wrong with the baby — horror in an isolated Finnish forest.

The US actor known for his quirky and charismatic character roles plays a man who comes from the future with a mission to save the world from AI zombification in "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean"). Rockwell was also in Berlin for the European premiere of this zany sci-fi comedy.

A Berlinale regular, French actress Isabelle Huppert is renowned for her portrayals of cold, morally dubious women. In "The Blood Countess," directed by German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, she embodies the mysterious titular character, who — after decades off the radar — reappears in present-day Vienna to track down a book that could potentially destroy all evil, including vampires.

Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche poses here on the Berlinale red carpet. She stars alongside knighted British New Wave actor Tom Courtenay, as well as Anna Calder-Marshall and Florence Hunt, in a drama about a family dealing with the mother's dementia, "Queen at Sea," directed by Lance Hammer.

Famous for his frequent collaborations with the Coen brothers and Spike Lee, actor John Turturro attended the festival for the European premiere of "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York." He also gave a talk with the film's director, Noah Segan, as part of a series of free events called Berlinale HUB.

Hollywood star Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan ("Crazy Rich Asians") pose here on Berlin's red carpet on February 20, celebrating their competition entry "Josephine." In the film, they portray parents of an 8-year-old girl (Mason Reeves in her debut role) who has to process a traumatic event. Beth de Araujo's film has already won awards at Sundance.