CMAT Condemns Berlin Film Festival's Call to Keep Cinema Apolitical
Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has launched a scathing critique of Berlin Film Festival jury president Wim Wenders' recent assertion that cinema should "stay out of politics," branding the notion as "cowardice." The Brit Award nominee, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, made her remarks during an interview at the Brit Awards ceremony on Saturday, 28 February 2026, firmly rejecting the idea that art exists in a non-political vacuum.
Art as a Political Arena
CMAT articulated her stance forcefully, stating, "I am not a big fan of anyone trying to argue that art is not a political place." She elaborated to The Guardian, "Everything is politics. But more than ever, art is politics because you don't get to make art in a fascist state." The singer highlighted a global trend, warning that "fascism is on the rise in every single country in the world," and noted its presence in Ireland, the UK, and America.
Addressing Wenders' comments directly, CMAT accused the filmmaker and similar successful artists of being detached from everyday realities. "It's cowardice," she asserted. "And I think it is showing that these people are extremely separate from how normal people live their everyday lives. They've become successful artists, musicians, filmmakers, and so they have wiped their hands clean of having to do anything with the working classes or anyone who is oppressed in any nation because they have the luxury of doing that. And I don't think that's fair."
Background of the Controversy
The controversy stems from comments made by German filmmaker Wim Wenders just weeks prior, when he suggested that cinema should "do the work of people, not the work of politicians." This statement was in response to questions about the German government's "support of the genocide in Gaza" and the festival's "selective treatment of human rights" issues. Wenders' remarks have sparked a broader debate within the artistic community about the role of politics in film and art.
CMAT's Political Engagement
CMAT is no stranger to political expression in her own work. Her 2025 album, Euro-Country, features a title track that warns of the dangers of capitalism and addresses the Irish economic crash of 2008. Despite being nominated for International Artist of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards, she lost out to Spanish musician Rosalía. Her outspoken views align with a growing chorus of artists challenging apolitical stances in the arts.
Broader Artistic Backlash
CMAT is not the first artist to criticise Wenders' position. Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy withdrew from the Berlin Film Festival over his statement, expressing that she was "shocked and disgusted" by the comments. Earlier in February 2026, a significant group of artists, including Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, and 79 others, signed an open letter to festival organisers.
The letter questioned the "institutional silence on the genocide of Palestinians" and expressed dismay at the festival's "involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state's key role in enabling it." It described incidents where filmmakers who spoke about Palestinians reported being "aggressively reprimanded by senior festival programmers." Signatories, such as Don't Look Up director Adam McKay and Game of Thrones actors Carice Van Houten and Tobias Menzies, declared, "We stand with our colleagues in rejecting this institutional repression and anti-Palestinian racism."
The Independent has reached out to the Berlin Film Festival and Wim Wenders for comment, but no response has been provided at this time. This ongoing debate underscores a deepening rift in the arts world over whether creative expression should engage with or abstain from political discourse.
