It’s only her first year as Berlinale artistic director, but Tricia Tuttle has already put her stamp on one of Europe’s biggest film festivals. When we meet in the middle of the 75th annual Berlin Film Festival, which so far has seen Robert Pattinson, Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Chastain and Jacob Elordi touch down in Germany, Tuttle shows no signs of sleep deprivation or slowing down. At the same time, she always knew this wasn’t going to be an easy job.
An erudite lover of films and a straight-shooter, Tuttle — an American who’s lived in Europe for so long that she’s adopted a hybrid British accent — admits that it’s been a tough year due to the ongoing political turmoil in Germany with the rise of the far right in the run up to the national election on Sunday. Then there’s the mounting pressures for the Berlinale to pick a side in the Gaza-Israel conflict. (Tuttle’s perspective has been to stay neutral and to embrace cinema from all over the world.)
These tensions aside, Tuttle is pleased with the reception to the 2025 edition of the Berlinale, which kicked off with Tilda Swinton delivering a political speech about the importance of artistic expression as she accepted a Golden Lion for career achievement.
Tuttle, who previously spearheaded the BFI London Film Festival with great success for five years, says she’s helped reinvigorate the Berlinale by ramping up the number of screenings, building two new venues (including the Stage Bluemax Theatre) in the festival’s headquarters at Potsdamer Platz, as well as hosting each major screening and bringing talent and filmmakers on stage for mini-Q&A’s following film presentations. And while Tuttle is keen on following Cannes or Venice’s footsteps in courting studios and luring stars to the Berlinale, don’t expect her to schedule an extra 15 minutes for a juiced up standing ovation. “I love the filmmakers getting all the love,” she says. “But we’re not in the business of measuring the length!”
We noticed the opening ceremony looked very different from before — last year, for example, members of the government made speeches on stage. Was it your decision?
It’s all about a different kind of energy. There’s definitely a strategic plan. It’s not that easy to talk about, because I’m not going to lay out my five-year plan for everyone, but part of it is about creating a different kind of atmosphere and a different kind of energy. And not being scared of the fact that we are a public audience festival. We are in a political city. We’re in a city that’s intellectually, culturally and politically engaged. If we tried to deny that it would be a very bizarre Berlinale. But we also want to make space for anyone to say what they need to say, and make sure that we defend that right.
The Berlinale can be what different kinds of audiences need. It can be a place to launch big films. It can be a place to screen intimate films. It can be a place where we have films that straddle the art world. It always has been that.
Do you feel that you achieved that balance this year with your lineup?
Yes, I feel that we definitely have done that. And some of that was also about making sure that our spaces really worked. I hope people have felt what we’ve done at Potsdamer Platz. It’s the beginning, but it feels very different to me than it did last year. We have two new venues, including the Stage Bluemax Theatre which is a 500-seat screening room, which we’re using five times a day for press screenings. In the morning, we’ve had very well attended free public talks, couple of talks every morning, lunchtime get togethers for filmmakers.
How did it feel to hear Tilda Swinton’s speech on opening night? We noticed you were onstage when she delivered it.
It felt really beautiful. I sort of heard it the night before, and I was very, very moved by it. It’s incredibly eloquent, as it always is when Tilda speaks. I was expecting nothing less than it to strike people to the core. The whole opening ceremony felt really wonderful, exactly what it needed to be for that particular moment. You know, it’ll be different every year, I’m sure, but we’ve had a tough year. We’ve had to sort of regrow some confidence as a festival, and to me, it felt like that moment we showed the confidence that we have.
Why did you need to regrow confidence?
Everyone knows. That’s no secret. It’s been a very tough year here because we are a festival where people speak out. We have been in the middle of many very polarized debates in the last year. And that can be a hard place to be. There have been many times where I felt the extreme pressure of everyone on different sides — particularly with the war in Gaza, that we have been letting down everyone, everyone wants something different from the Berlinale and more than what the Berlinale seems to be able to give. And I feel like we’ve rebuilt our confidence, because we’ve said, “This is a platform where people can have conversations,” and it’s not about the festival needing to be the voice. It’s every filmmaker here, and filmmakers have to be here to be the voice. We’ve defended that space and I I think during the opening night and the festival, you’ve seen lots of perspectives represented.
Are you worried by the rise of the far right in Germany?
Yes, but I think that everyone everywhere is worried by the rise of the far right. We’re worried by all the same things that I think people from all over the world are worried about in their own countries. European countries are built on a history of immigration, and it’s very bizarre that we’re living in a moment right now where all of a sudden, there’s a like a powerful push back against that. The very values of what the Berlinale was built on is that we are a space where people can come together from all over the world, and we can celebrate that, and we can communicate with each other. So of course, I’m worried about that, as everyone else is.
Unlike Cannes, for instance, the Berlinale is a public organization funded by the government. How are you anticipating that there could be some pressure on you if the far-right party Alternative for Germany does well in the national election on Sunday?
The important thing for us is we take one day at a time. We have to think in terms of the political landscape. We build relationships where we can, I think in Germany, the Democratic parties have been really clear so far about how they work together. We can work with everyone there. We’ll take it one step at a time. We’ll see what happens after Sunday.
In any case, you’ve put together a strong jury led by Todd Haynes and lineup with lots of stars in the mix, like Timothée Chalamet and Jessica Chastain. How important is star power to the Berlinale?
It’s really important, but it goes back to what I was talking about, about the breadth. It’s certainly not all it’s about, but that attracts new audiences. And I think cinema has always been in love with onscreen talent. That’s from for at least 100 years. We’ve built stories around people that we identify with. This is how people connect with cinema. Cinephiles connect with cinema in many different ways. We love directors, we love stories, we love the political subjects, we love the themes. Some people also come to cinema because they’re coming through a star that they are connected with. As a kid I remember, Goldie Hawn took me on a journey. Paul Newman took me on a journey. This is how you introduce new people to cinema, and it’s exciting. It’s been really, really good because these are also stars who love cinema, and they’re making really interesting films. They’re not just here because they’re stars. They’re here because they’re absolutely committed to making the kind of cinema that we’re excited about as well, too.
How did you convince Timothée Chalamet to come here with a special screening of “A Complete Unknown”?
I called him up. I said, “Timmy…!” No. [Laughs.] I’d say, good relationships with studios — so Disney, Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics and also Warner Bros. This year we have had films that are at the right time where we can support them with their campaigns. But also they want us to do well; what I’m feeling from the industry is that the whole industry really wants a strong Berlinale. Some companies are leaping already with us this year, and I hope that other companies will will leap next year as well, too, if they’re waiting to see what does the Berlinale look like.
Today is the fifth day of the festival. How are you feeling?
Fantastic. Really wonderful. I’ve had a lot of very positive feedback from public audiences, like people stopping me in the street and being very excited. The way we’re doing competition this year is a little bit different in that either me or one of the programmers are on stage and are asking a couple of questions to filmmakers. It’s a big festival and it has to do many things, and it will never satisfy everyone, but I feel like there are a lot of people who’ve found it very enriching this year, and that makes me really happy.
Yes, and we’ve also seen you everywhere, screenings, parties — literally everywhere!
Actually, I’m like Mickey 17. You are actually talking to Tricia 7.
Ha, that’s funny. “Mickey 17” was received well. It got a standing ovation, but it wasn’t as long as the standing ovations in Cannes or Venice. Do you want to allow time for that?
I have to say that everyone I know who likes cinema cannot stand the clap-o-meter because it’s just absolute nonsense. I love the filmmakers getting all the love. But we’re not in the business of measuring the length!
