It’s about the movies, not politics. Berlin Film Festival jury pushes back on the uninvited party

By LOUISE DIXON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The jury at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival has pushed back on political questions as the festival kicked off, seeking instead to shift the focus to the tough selection of the best movie, with 20 titles from around the globe competing for the top prize, the Golden Bear. Jury president and Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o said at a news conference on Thursday that the diverse jury has an interesting challenge ahead. The Kenyan-Mexican actor said “the beauty of bringing people together from different backgrounds is that we respond to different things.” Nyong’o is the Berlinale’s first Black jury president and said she felt greatly honored to lead this year’s jury.