The 20th annual

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

was supposed to be held from 26 June to 7 July 1970. The festival opened with ''

Klann – grand guignol ''Klann – grand guignol'' is a 1969 French-Belgian mystery film directed by Patrick Ledoux. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Gabriel Cattand Gabriel Cattand (29 November 1923 – 9 August 1997) ...

'' by Patrick Ledoux. However, on 5 July the competition was cancelled and no major prizes were awarded, due to a controversy surrounding the participation of

Michael Verhoeven Michael Verhoeven (born 13 July 1938) is a German film director. Life and work Verhoeven is the son of the German film director Paul Verhoeven (not to be confused with the Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven). He married actress Senta Berger in ...

's anti-war film '' o.k.

Jury

The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival: *

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary '' Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for ...

, director and screenwriter (United States) - Jury President * Klaus Hebecker, journalist and film critic (West Germany) * David Neves, director, screenwriter and producer (Brazil) * Véra Volmane, journalist, writer and film critic (France) *

Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was a ...

, actress (United Kingdom) *

Alberto Lattuada Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a student, a ...

, director and screenwriter (Italy) *

Dušan Makavejev Dušan Makavejev ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Макавејев, ; 13 October 1932 – 25 January 2019) was a Serbian film director and screenwriter, famous for his groundbreaking films of Yugoslav cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s—many of wh ...

, director and screenwriter (Yugoslavia) * Gunnar Oldin, journalist and film critic (Sweden) *

Manfred Durniok Manfred Durniok (2 May 1934 – 7 March 2003) was a German film producer, director and screenwriter. He produced 27 films between 1961 and 2003. He was a member of the jury at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival in 1970. Selected fi ...

, director and producer (West Germany)

Films in competition

The following films were in competition:

Controversy

During the screening of the film '' o.k.'', the film was interrupted. The jury, presided by American film director

, decided after a 7-2 vote to demand Berlinale director Alfred Bauer, who was present at the screening, to take the film out of the competition. The jury justified their decision by citing a

FIAPF The FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films; en, International Federation of Film Producers Associations), created in 1933, is an organization composed with 36 member associations from 30 of the leading audio ...

(International Federation of Film Producers Associations) guideline that said: "All film festivals should contribute to better understanding between nations". This accusation was based on the fact that the film reenacted the 1966

Incident on Hill 192 The incident on Hill 192 refers to the kidnapping, gang rape, and murder of Phan thi Mao, a young Vietnamese woman, Fitzpatrick (1989), p.1. on 19 November 1966 Fitzpatrick (1989), p.2. by an American squad during the Vietnam War. Though news of th ...

of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in the Bavarian forest depicting four American soldiers kidnapping, raping, stabbing and shooting a Vietnamese girl named Mao until she finally dies. A fifth soldier on the patrol refuses to take part in the attack on the girl and his report to his commander is buried in the files. Stevens, who had served during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, claimed that the film was anti-American. One jury member,

, protested against this measure, stood up for the film and supported director

and producer Rob Houwer. Bauer cited the Berlinale’s status as an "A" festival, which meant that an accepted film could not be excluded from the competition. This was followed by altercations between the leadership of the Berlinale and Stevens, and between the Berlin and international press. During a press conference, Verhoeven defended his film by stating in these terms: "I have not made an anti-American film. If I were an American, I would even say my film is pro‐American. The biggest part of the American people today is against the war in Vietnam". Other directors that were taking part in the festival withdrew their films in protest. The jury was accused of censorship and eventually disbanded, therefore no prizes were awarded and the competition was suspended.

References

External links

20th Berlin International Film Festival 1970: Suspended CeremonyBerlin International Film Festival:1970
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin International Film Festival, 20th 20 1970 film festivals 1970 in West Germany 1970s in West Berlin

Jury

Films in competition

Controversy

See also

References

External links