Berlin film festival suspends prize over Nazi links report

Berlin International Film Festival has suspended a prize named for its founding director after a German newspaper reported that he was a senior figure in Nazis' moviemaking bureaucracy. Alfred Bauer led “Berlinale” from 1951 to 1976, building festival into a major draw for n-West Berlin. It is w one of major European film festivals.

After he died in 1986, festival inaugurated an Alfred Bauer Prize, which has been awarded to “a feature film that opens up new perspectives in field of cinematic art.” It is one of several Silver Bear awards, including for best actor and director, that has been bestowed alongside main prize, Golden Bear.

In its Thursday edition, weekly Die Zeit reported that research indicates Bauer held a senior post in a film directorate set up in 1942 by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

festival reacted swiftly with a statement in which it said report “cast new light” on Bauer's role in Nazi film politics, and that it was t previously aware of Bayer having h an important position during Nazi era. It said that, in view of new findings, it was suspending Alfred Bauer Prize with immediate effect.

“We welcome research and its publication in Die Zeit and will seize opportunity to begin deeper research on festival history with support of external experts,” it said.

Germany's culture minister backed festival directors' handling of case.

“If se findings that are new to us all are substantiated, it is obvious that name Alfred Bauer will longer be used this way in connection with Berlinale,” Monika Gruetters told news ncy dpa on Friday. “n re will longer be a prize named after Alfred Bauer in future.”

This year's Berlinale, festival's 70th edition, runs from Feb. 20 to March 1.

(Picture Credits: @imom/Unsplash)