Film can change the world "but not in a political way," says Wim Wenders

When asked about Germany's support for Israel, Wenders remarked that filmmakers should "do the work of people, not the work of politicians."

By Drew Gillis | February 12, 2026 | 9:25am

Image © Dirk Michael Deckbar / Berlinale 2026

Film News Berlinale

The 76th annual Berlinale kicks off today in Germany, and it’s already begun with a somewhat politically charged press conference. Paris, Texas director Wim Wenders serves as this year’s jury president and fielded questions about movies and politics fairly decisively during the festival’s opening day. “Yes, movies can change the world. Not in a political way,” said Wenders during a press conference. “No movie has really changed any politician’s idea, but … we can change the idea that people have of how they should live. There’s a big discrepancy on this planet between people who want to live their lives and governments who have other ideas. So I think films enter that discrepancy.”

These quotes come from both The Guardian and Variety, which report that the jury was then questioned about Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza and the German government’s support for it. Said Polish producer Ewa Puszczyńska, per The Guardian, “Of course, we are trying to talk to people and make them think, but we cannot be responsible for what their decision would be, to support Israel or to support Palestine… There are many wars where genocide is committed, and we do not talk about them … so this is a complicated question and it’s a bit of an unfair question.”

“We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics,” Wenders added after. “But we are the counterweight of politics, we are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians.”

The Berlin International Film Festival runs through Sunday, February 22.

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