The Berlin film festival premiered a documentary about an Israeli hostage held by Hamas last 14 February as it seeks to move on from controversy over its stance on Gaza at last year's edition.
"A Letter to David" by Israeli filmmaker Tom Shoval is a tribute to David Cunio, who was taken by Palestinian militant group Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on 7 October 2023, and is still being held hostage in Gaza.
Shoval had previously featured Cunio and his twin brother Eitan in his award-winning debut feature film "Youth", which premiered at the Berlinale in 2013.
In the new film, screening in the festival's Special category, Shoval uses excerpts from "Youth" alongside unseen footage and interviews with Cunio's family members to create a tribute to his missing friend.
They include David's twin brother Eitan, his mother, and his wife Sharon Cunio and twin daughters -- who were also captured by Hamas fighters on 7 October but released after 52 days.
Shoval said he had decided to make the film because he did not want David to be perceived as just "a hostage you see on a poster".
"He is also a real person. He was an actor at some point in his life, he has a family, he has a mother, he has a father. He exists not only as an image," Shoval told AFP.
"It was very important to me to convey this, and also to show the pain that the family is going through."
The Berlinale was heavily criticized last year after several filmmakers were accused of making anti-Semitic remarks on stage at the closing awards ceremony.
US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, while Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra said the Palestinian population was being "massacred" by Israel.
Ahead of this year's festival, the Berlinale published guidelines on its website on freedom of expression, anti-Semitism and showing solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
"We... stand by the right of our filmmakers to talk about the impulses behind their work and their experiences of the world. The Berlinale welcomes different points of view, even if this creates tension or controversy," they said.
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