Organizers for the 2018 Berlin Film Festival have rejected the idea to lay out a black carpet to support the #MeToo movement despite pressure from a Change.org petition.
“We at the Berlinale firmly believe in the importance of the actions and debates around the #metoo movement. We fully understand the motivation behind Ms Eisinger’s petition. But for the festival, we made a conscious decision not to engage in ‘symbol politics,'” said festival director Dieter Kosslick in a statement obtained by TheWrap.
He continued, “the urgently-needed equality for women in the film sector will undoubtedly reinforce comprehensive changes in awareness of sexism and abuse of power, and perception of sex and gender roles. That will lead to changes in behaviour and a joint future, as the #blackcarpet petition calls for. But we want our activities to delve deeper into the @metoo discourse, deeper than our carpet allows. So laying out a black carpet at the Berlinale is not the path we have chosen.”
The campaign to switch the carpet color from red to black was started by German actress Claudia Eisinger — the Change.org petition had over 23,000 signatures at the time of publication of this article.
“As an actress, I know how power structures can create insecurity and how overwhelming it can be to feel dependency, how much space there is for abusive behavior in professional hierarchies,” she wrote in German. “In Hollywood, the actresses wore black. In Berlin, we want a black carpet. It is our responsibility to show the world that sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination against women no longer remain unseen — and not only in our business.”I
In response to attendees wearing black, Kossick said, “Everybody can choose how she or he want to walk the red carpet – freedom of expression.”
Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” will debut at the Palast on Thursday night.
Speaking at the press conference launching the 68th annual festival on Thursday, jury president Tom Tykwer was also asked about harassment in the film industry, which the festival is addressing in a conference titled “Culture Wants Change — A Conversation on Sexual Harassment in Film, Television and Theatre” on Feb. 19.
During the conference, he said the industry needs to move away from focusing on individuals and instead focus on wider harassment issues.
“It’s good that [the industry] turns away from the individual person related cases,” he said, according to Screen International. “It’s about work ethics and the abuse of power, which are very important, and sometimes you don’t talk about those because you only talk about people behaving badly and pointing the finger at these people.”
He added, “We all know it’s about something that’s not only predominant in the film industry but it’s about the essential problem of how vertical labour relations affect people who are at the bottom. This is something you see in all types of relationships. This is being discussed in a way that focuses more on the actual issues and not on the others and that’s is what it’s important at the moment.”
See Kosslick’s full statement below.
The debate that began with the Weinstein scandal is important and triggered the #metoo movement. “Me Too” has unmasked shocking dimensions of coercion and abuse. Above and beyond sexual violence, the public discourse has led us to challenge the balance of power and role models in society. We at the Berlinale firmly believe in the importance of the actions and debates around the #metoo movement. We fully understand the motivation behind Ms Eisinger’s petition. But for the festival, we made a conscious decision not to engage in “symbol politics”. With our programme of films and presentations we want to contribute to the public debate. We see the Berlin International Film Festival as a forum to draw attention to problems and provide impetus for initiatives; we support a variety of events that we hope will contribute to implementing real change.
The urgently-needed equality for women in the film sector will undoubtedly reinforce comprehensive changes in awareness of sexism and abuse of power, and perception of sex and gender roles. That will lead to changes in behaviour and a joint future, as the #blackcarpet petition calls for. But we want our activities to delve deeper into the @metoo discourse, deeper than our carpet allows. So laying out a black carpet at the Berlinale is not the path we have chosen.”
Golden Globes Red Carpet: Wisest Words on #MeToo Movement From Meryl Streep to Emma Watson (Photos)
Debra Messing
"I am wearing black to thank and honor all the brave whistleblowers who came forward and shared their stories of harassment and discrimination," Messing said on Sunday's Golden Globes red carpet. She added that she's "shocked to to hear E! doesn’t believe in paying their female hosts the same as their male hosts," referring to Catt Sadler's exit from the network after learning she wasn't paid as much as her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy. "Women are just as important as men," she said.
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Laura Dern
The "Big Little Lies" actress said on Instagram that she is "holding our mothers and grandmothers and all brave women who taught us about Voice" by wearing black on the red carpet. On the carpet, she added, "It’s time for us to make a difference, and everyone can make a difference." Dern brought along activist Monica Ramirez, who said, "When we learned about what was happening in Hollywood, our members felt very strongly they wanted to send a message… that they are not alone... Part of our work is to fight for gender parity along all lines."
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Emma Watson
The "Beauty and the Beast" star said on Twitter that she's wearing black on the red carpet "because we are grateful to the many survivors and allies who have spoken out and and forced the conversation about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and gender bias in the spotlight."
Larasi, a women's activist, accompanied Emma Watson on the red carpet. "There’s something about women in Hollywood speaking out," she said of the Me Too movement. "There is a wall of silence that surrounds women and girls [who are harassed or assaulted]. We don’t want to create hierarchies.. But we’re saying women in Hollywood have [an opportunity] to amplify [the message]. It's a fantastic platform."
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Jessica Chastain
The "Molly's Game" star said, "I wear black to stand in solidarity with my sister's and to say it's #TimesUp on this imbalance of power IN ALL INDUSTRIES " on Twitter ahead of the show.
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Meryl Streep
"The Post" star said, "People are aware now of a power imbalance... It's everywhere and we want to fix that."
As for her character in the film, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, Streep said she thought she would be "heartened" by the movement sweeping Hollywood and beyond for women's rights. "She was a pioneer," Streep said. "I think she’d be over the moon."
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Yvonne Strahovski
"With the women's march and now this, it really feels like a revolution is taking place. Although it's not going to solve all the problems, I'm proud to be here and to be part of it today," said the "Handmaid's Tale" star.
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Kerry Washington
"This is such an awesome night to celebrate women and celebrate all of us coming together and standing with each other and standing in solidarity to say 'Time is Up,'" the "Scandal" star said. "This is not a problem in Hollywood, the abuse of power happens everywhere."
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Billie Jean King
"We’re in solidarity about standing up for people who have been abused and have been harassed, and the industry is all staying together on this," said the tennis star, who accompanied Emma Stone on the red carpet.
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Chrissy Metz
Before the red carpet, Metz said she told her publicist "If I can't be who I am I can't do this." On the carpet, she told Ryan Seacrest "We are all meant for something bigger better greater, but we’re not always taught that."
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Alison Brie
Brie is nominated for her role in Netflix's "GLOW," but also acted alongside Meryl Streep in "The Post." She said, "Meryl Streep playing Katharine Graham was like feminism on feminism."
"It’s important to me to stand with all of the women who have come forward," Brie added, wearing a black ensemble in honor of Time's Up and the #MeToo movement. She added that's she's "so in awe of that bravery" of the women who have come forward with stories of sexual harassment and assault, and said, "It’s important for me to stand with those who don’t feel like they have a voice."
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Sarah Jessica Parker
"I think it’s an enormous show of support tonight," said the "Divorce" star, who wore a black frock in honor of the Time's Up initiative. "This is a conversation that, as complicated as it is, it seems to be very welcome by everybody," she said to E!'s Ryan Seacrest. "I know it’s affected your network," she added in reference to Catt Sadler, who left E! after learning she earned far less than her male colleague. Parker went on to say that parity and gender equality shouldn't be overly complicated. "It’s about women in all industries, and men," she said.
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Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria joined Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in talking to Ryan Seacrest about the Time's Up initiative. Like Parker and Messing, Longoria called out E! for paying Catt Sadler less than her male colleague Jason Kennedy. "We support gender parity and equal pay, and we hope E! stands with that," she said to Seacrest.
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“A revolution is taking place”
Debra Messing
"I am wearing black to thank and honor all the brave whistleblowers who came forward and shared their stories of harassment and discrimination," Messing said on Sunday's Golden Globes red carpet. She added that she's "shocked to to hear E! doesn’t believe in paying their female hosts the same as their male hosts," referring to Catt Sadler's exit from the network after learning she wasn't paid as much as her male counterpart, Jason Kennedy. "Women are just as important as men," she said.