Protests leave their mark on the opening of the 74th Berlin Film Festival

At the opening ceremony of the 74th Berlin Film Festival, protests were held against rising right-wing movements and the AfD party, which has entered the German parliament.

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

Protests leave their mark on the opening of the 74th Berlin Film Festival

The 74th Berlin Film Festival saw protests carried out by three separate groups at Potsdamer Platz before the opening night celebrations began.

The demonstrations, which started with approximately 60 people from the film world walking hand-in-hand on the red carpet, saw protesters later turn on their phone flashlights and chant the slogan 'Defend democracy!' in unison.

FAMOUS NAMES JOINED THE PROTEST

Artists who participated in the protest included Jonathan Berlin, Katja Riemann, Meret Becker, Lavinia Wilson, Luisa Gaffron, Pegah Ferydoni, Roshanak Khodabakhsh, Anne Leppin, Jannis Niewöhner, Murali Perumal, and Jessica Schwarz.

As reported by Variety, the organizers of the Berlin Film Festival, one of the world's three largest film festivals alongside Cannes and Venice, invited a group of filmmakers to the red carpet on opening night to take a stand for democracy, diversity, and peaceful coexistence, stating:

"The Berlinale has taken a clear stance against right-wing extremism in Germany by not inviting the AfD."

News Source: 12punto