Feb 20, 2026
3 min read
Explore the Brazilian dictatorship at the pace of a seventies thriller or celebrate a decisive figure of the experimental avant-garde with one weekend recommendation.
The death of the United States, the struggle of the Republican Party and other cultural plans to protect art is political
One more final discussion.The Berlinale has once again sparked the debate that cinema (and those who work in it) should take a stand on political issues.The sentence given by Wim Wenders at the press conference of the jury on the first day of the competition (he is the president) was a mistake and caused an earthquake, the results of which are still ongoing.
Wenders said "Cinema must stay away from politics".This caused the Indian writer Arundhati Roy to cancel her visit.The Berlinale, led by director Tricia Tuttle, came out to defend Wenders and said that no one should force anyone to have an opinion on anything.His statement received a response.More than 80 members of the industry, including Bardem and Tilda Swinton, criticized the Berlinale's double standards in an open letter and recalled asking people not to talk about the genocide in Gaza.
This is too complicated an issue, among other things in response to Berlinale's lack of willingness to condemn the genocide in Gaza.And that becomes abundantly clear when the festival itself has taken a stand and said goodbye to other issues.Wasn't it political to ban far-right MPs from taking power last year?Just to be clear, wasn't there a video for Zelenskiy at the 2023 inauguration?
It is very surprising that, at the festival, Zelensky referred to The Sky Over Berlin, a film by Wim Wenders, proving that "cinema cannot change the world, but it can inspire people to change it."That is to say that films are political, and that this competition, historically - as Charlie XCX recalled in this edition - has been very close to everything that happens in the world... except Palestine.
The nervousness of the festival on this subject caused this whole earthquake.Of course, no one can force someone to talk about what they don't want, but filmmakers, actors and actresses are old enough to defend their ideas themselves.Not to react if they don't feel like it, like Ethan Hawke did when asked about the letter signed by Bardem, Swinton and company.But soon after, Hawke himself reacted to the political commitment of the artists and said that they certainly had.
If you don't want to talk, if you don't want water, don't do it.But let no one try to convince us that cinema is not political.Everything is there.Marvel movies are political.A beautiful woman is political.And of course all the films seen in Berlin are political.Works - creators with a voice in the election.Surprisingly, they had no problem with questions that might seem inappropriate.That's not what told Wim Wenders who he was going to vote for.Or your opinion on the Extremadadura election.They were also asked about the situation in the competition they represented as a jury.
I have a feeling that the culture war has put that debate in the middle and the right is winning.He also makes people believe that there is no need to talk.Who is the actor or director who can talk about Gaza.And people buy that story and are afraid to speak up.Losing that cultural war would be a terrible thing, it would be the realization that art is white, harmless and useless to open one's mind.
Three songs, by Francisco Games
How important it is for artists to take a stand, raise their voices against injustices and use their platform to raise awareness of what is happening around us.I haven't released music in nine years.nine.And the return of U2 with unreleased content is precisely to condemn the brutality of ICE with a very political EP.One of their songs you can listen to the American obituary list, which now you can listen to their American list.Albums Another option is to support them.
'American Obituary' by U2."You have the right to remain silent...or not."Thus began the powerful EP recently released by the famous Irish band.Backed by an electric guitar, the song sends a strong message to a country that has experienced a political crisis since the re-election of Trump as president.The worst can't kill the best, but they can try” or “America will rise up against the liars.” Listen to him.
'White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter' by Lana Del Rey.Lana Del Rey's country album, which was supposed to be released about a year ago, is still in the works.But if the result is as exquisite as the new preview that the artist just released, the wait will be worth it.This single makes the singer more gothic and seems to be taken from the soundtrack of a Disney movie, as if it belongs to the evil one.The dark instrumental raises a wonderful song with which Lana Del Rey laughs, plays and shows her ability to experiment and continue to surprise.The title referred to in the chorus is of course unpronounceable.Listen to her.
‘Fuck freestyle namaste’ by María Escarmiento.Escarmiento's new album is out.Among the twelve tracks is this little gem, which is only two minutes long and acts almost as an interlude.A fun track that can't be taken seriously... or maybe.“Let’s go to the gym/Let’s go shopping/Let’s cook/If salad tomatoes cost 8 euros and you’re disgusting/Then you’ll be fine, right?/As long as they look beautiful in the picture,” the artist sings in one verse.María Escarmiento sends "Namaste Freestyle" to hell by mixing spoken parts with other singing parts through electronic filters.Listen.
Three books by Francisco Gamizi
Tusquets Editors by Miguel Ángel Villena.Miguel Ángel Villena's work tells the story of nine deputies during Spain's Second Republic and their struggle for women's suffrage, equal rights and political commitment.These are nine women who were at the forefront of feminist struggle and social progress, and who represented the forefront of other women's struggles for equality in the first decades of the 20th century, whether in culture, the trade union world or the legal profession.
The Blue and White City by Azahara Palomecki (Opéra Voltaire).Arguing for democratic memory and ecological struggle, Palomecki's new novel is a story underpinned by nature.This work tells the story of Elaya returning to her hometown to write a novel after spending some time abroad.She wanted to tell the story of her family, a web of life marked by war, dictatorship and the misery of rural Andalusia.Book It aims to explore a subject that is more collective than personal.It's already in bookstores.
'Spider Point' by Neria Pallares (Asteroid Books) This author won the García Barros Award last year with the French version of Punto de Spider.This work is now reaching librarians with a Spanish version.This is a debut film that weaves together social realism, collective memory and myth to tell the story of a woman's failure on the Costa da Morte.Three rebels against injustice.It is a work that gathers the voices of generations of women and encourages them to be sisters in a world that is still far from achieving full equality.
Three films by Javier Zorro
A secret agent.What is the film of Cleber Mendons Filho.For me it deserved the Palme d'Or last year.Looking at the Brazilian dictatorship at the speed of seventies, mixing genres (even with a horror twist) and thinking about memory and its absence.Wagner Moura is amazing.Don't miss it.
"Balandrau".A solid survival drama based on real events, the worst storm in the history of the Pyrenees, Bulletproof and Avalanche is considered the best card with performers: Alvaro Cervantes and Bruna Cusi.They are the main hooks of a proper and emotional film.
"Little Emily".I would love to see this French film nominated for an Oscar for best animated film, but it is highly recommended by one of the greatest animation experts, Alberto Corona.Really looking forward to seeing this strange adaptation of Emily Northom's novel.
Weekend Plans, Laura G. Higuras
MaF (Málaga).A week before the Malaga Film Festival, a parallel festival with other forms of art will take place.Among them, an interview with Marta Sanz about her collection of poems Amarilla and another with Silvia Herreros de Tejada, author of Juvencolia, an essay on the search for eternal youth.There will also be exhibitions, a scientific meeting, a "film about a poem" and sound art.
Black Citizens.Black Politics in the City (Barcelona).MACBA and CCB are co-organizing this three-day program that brings together voices from different backgrounds to collectively present the experiences of Black people around the world.It will feature philosopher and writer Nadia Yala Kasukidi, keynote speaker on blackness, the strange and the strange;Saul Williams, a pioneer of Salem poetry and a key figure in contemporary art;and John Scott Lewis, geographer and activist for racial rights in the United States.
Three shows by Jordi Sabaté
Plantation University.Courtesy of the Musicians.Pope Paint (Catalina Obrador) presented an installation combined with painting, writing, sound and collective action in Space D of Es Baluard Museu and open and intellectual tour until May 3, 2026. It is part of a continuous process that explores the origin of women, creative stories and alternative forms of society.Plantation University.Hismes de painteras offers a possible labyrinth, where images, words and sounds create a space of memory, listening and sharing stories.The visit is facilitated through closed meetings with small groups along its route, which includes reading and playing the installations.
"Alberto Greco. Long live art. Until June 8, the Sabatini building of the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid offers a retrospective of the work of Alberto Greco (Buenos Aires, 1931 - Barcelona, 1965), a defining figure of the experimental avant-garde. Greco laid the foundation for so-called living art, where he turned his own life into a space for aesthetic invention of a public exhibition.
"Let it pass."Until March 7, Barcelona's Casa Elizalde presents a project by artist Lluís Tudela that shows urban change and the current housing crisis.The work is located in Barcelona's Eixample and talks about housing access, land comparison and sales methods as a reflection of the urban renewal that causes the gradual eviction of local residents.Through his pictures, Tudela sees the change of the environment and the places they pass through, focusing on risk and the experience of living and not living in the city.
Three posts in case you missed them this week
Vina Rock returns It has been a difficult year for the festival, which regained its independence from KKR Nidhi, leading to cancellations and a barrage of complaints from fans.
コンシリエーレともお別れです。This week, Robert Duvall, the legendary actor in The Godfather who played one of the most memorable scenes in movie history, the morning smell of napalm in Apocalypse Now, died.
Nacho Vegas Vs Wim Wenders.In the same week Wim Wenders said that art should be separated from politics, the musician gave us this interview that shows otherwise.
About this blog
Every Friday morning, Elena Cabrera works as the bulletin's cultural fixer, rounding up current cultural events in the first section, which highlights some of the stories the column has published that week.The newsletter consists of three fixed blocks: 3 column stories;3 cultural plans were chosen by Laura G. Higueras and 3 movie recommendations by Javier Zurr.In addition, the last newsletter of the month, Gerardo Vilches, chose three comics.
