Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked artists and filmmakers to declare their support for Ukraine as he addressed the opening of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 16.
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Cinema can overcome barriers -- real and ideological -- said Zelenskiy, referring to Wim Wenders' 1988 film Wings of Desire, which anticipated the end of the postwar division of Germany.
Now, Russia is building a new wall in Ukraine, a figurative wall “between freedom and slavery," he said. Art cannot remain indifferent because, in silence, the "voice of evil only becomes louder and more convincing,” he said, speaking in a live stream video.
Zelenskiy recalled his own experience as an actor, urging colleagues to directly address their audiences.
"For many years, Potsdam Square was divided by the Berlin Wall," he said. "Today, Russia wants to build the same wall in Ukraine: a wall between us and Europe, to separate Ukraine from its own choice for its future."
Zelenskiy also noted that the festival declined to include institutions and individuals who support the Kremlin and barred films that support Russia. He said he was grateful for that.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, U.S. actress Anne Hathaway praised Zelenskiy as a modern-day hero and thanked the festival organizers for inviting him to give the address.
The festival's management called Zelenskiy's participation a special honor.
Zelenskiy appears in Superpower, Sean Penn’s film about the war in Ukraine, which will have its premiere at the festival, also known as the Berlinale.
SEE ALSO: The Talented 7-Year-Old Ukrainian Refugee Painting Her Way Through WarThe film tracks Zelenskiy's transformation from actor and comedian to president to war hero.
Penn was filming in Kyiv at the start of the Russian invasion and met with Zelenskiy in his office in November. The two-time Oscar winner said on February 16 that he had just returned from the Ukrainian capital.
"Nothing has changed in terms of the will of the Ukrainian people, that's for sure," Penn said. "If anything, it's just gotten stronger."
Carlo Chatrian, the Berlinale’s artistic director, paid tribute to "the suffering population, the millions who left Ukraine, and the artists [who] have remained defending the country and continue filming the war."
The Berlinale ranks with Cannes and Venice among Europe's leading film festivals. It will hand out top prizes on February 25 before wrapping up the next day with screenings of popular movies from this year's event.