Berlinale Reception Hosted by the Ambassador: Solidarity with Ukraine
Berlinale reception hosted by the ambassador underscores solidarity with Ukraine
Ambassador Amy Gutman
On February 21, Ambassador Gutmann welcomed 400 guests from the film industry and a diverse, cross-generational audience from Berlin’s cultural world to a reception at the Berlin Embassy on the occasion of the Berlinale Film Festival. Celebrity guests included Steven Spielberg, CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and former US Ambassador to France Charles Rivkin, German Minister of Culture Claudia Roth and Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksei Makeiev as guest of honour. For the reception, the embassy cooperated with Studio Babelsberg, the MPA and Morrison & Foerster, whose directors gave brief greetings.
Ambassador Gutmann’s statements highlighted the strong US, German and Allied support for Ukraine in its fight for freedom against Russia’s brutal and unprovoked aggression, and reinforced President Biden’s statements in Kiev and Warsaw and the Vice President’s speech at the Munich Security Conference. The Ambassador reiterated: “Against our Ukrainian brothers, Russia commits nothing less than crimes against humanity.” The Ambassador also mentioned the beginnings of the Berlinale after World War II as part of the Marshall Plan, created as a vehicle for freedom of speech and expression.
Ukrainian Ambassador Makeiev thanked the United States and Germany for their unwavering support of his country. He quoted President Biden’s statement that democracy is no accident, adding: “We must fight for it, and we will!” This year’s Berlinale was dedicated to Ukraine, with several Ukrainian filmmakers showing their work and President Zelenskyy on February 16 spoke virtually to the premiere audience during the world premiere of Sean Penn’s documentary Superpower.
The reception was widely reported on traditional and social media:
Brownies with golden (gummy) bears as a symbol of the German-American #Berlinale-Tradition: Ambassador Gutmann received representatives from film art, film industry and politics at the embassy. pic.twitter.com/Vfm6axbrbR
— US Embassy Berlin (@usbotschaft) February 21, 2023
.@USAmbGermany thanks Steven Spielberg for that @USCShoahFdnwhich makes the memories of Holocaust survivors accessible to additional generations as teaching and training material: pic.twitter.com/VxqnR8mLVW
— US Embassy Berlin (@usbotschaft) February 21, 2023
