20th Berlin International Film Festival


The 20th annual Berlin International Film Festival was supposed to be held from 26 June to 7 July 1970. The festival opened with Klann – grand guignol by Patrick Ledoux. However, on 5 July the competition was cancelled and no major prizes were awarded, due to a controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven's anti-war film ''o.k.

Jury

The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:
The following films were in competition:
English titleOriginal titleDirectorCountry
Days and Nights in the Forestঅরণ্যের দিনরাত্রি Araṇyēra DinarātriSatyajit RayIndia
A Test of ViolenceStuart CooperUnited Kingdom
The Baby in the TreeBaby in de boomNouchka van BrakelNetherlands
A Baltic TragedyBaltutlämningenJohan BergenstråhleSweden
Black OutBlack OutJean-Louis RoySwitzerland
BorsalinoBorsalinoJacques DerayFrance, Italy
Apart from Life地の群れ Chi no mureKei KumaiJapan
Dionysus in '69Brian De PalmaUSA
Jackal of NahueltoroEl chacal de NahueltoroMiguel LittínChile
El extraño caso del doctor FaustoGonzalo SuárezSpain
A Swedish Love StoryEn kärlekshistoriaRoy AnderssonSweden
The ConformistIl conformistaBernardo BertolucciItaly, France
Klann – grand guignolPatrick LedouxFrance, Belgium
The HowlL'urloTinto BrassItaly
Eden and AfterL'Eden et aprèsAlain Robbe-GrilletFrance, Czecholosvakia
A Girl Called JulesLa ragazza di nome GiulioTonino ValeriiItaly
The Time to DieLe temps de mourirAndré FarwagiFrance
The InheritorsLos herederosDavid StivelArgentina
The Prophet of HungerO Profeta da FomeMaurice CapovilaBrazil
o.k.o.k.Michael VerhoevenWest Germany
The Customer of the Off Seasonאורח בעונה מתה Ore'ach B'Onah MetahMoshé MizrahiIsrael
Of Gods and the UndeadOs deuses E Os MortosRuy GuerraBrazil
Out of ItPaul WilliamsUSA
Rembrandt OutlawedRembrandt VogelvrijErnie DamenNetherlands
RotocalcoManfredo ManfrediItaly
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?Rainer Werner FassbinderWest Germany
How I Became a NegroWie ich ein Neger wurdeRoland GallWest Germany

Controversy

During the screening of the film o.k., the film was interrupted. The jury, presided by American film director George Stevens, decided after a 7-2 vote to demand Berlinale director Alfred Bauer, who was present at the screening, to take the film out of the competition. The jury justified their decision by citing a FIAPF guideline that said: "All film festivals should contribute to better understanding between nations". This accusation was based on the fact that the film reenacted the 1966 Incident on Hill 192 of the Vietnam War in the Bavarian forest depicting four American soldiers kidnapping, raping, stabbing and shooting a Vietnamese girl named Mao until she finally dies. A fifth soldier on the patrol refuses to take part in the attack on the girl and his report to his commander is buried in the files. Stevens, who had served during the Second World War, claimed that the film was anti-American. One jury member, Dušan Makavejev, protested against this measure, stood up for the film and supported director Michael Verhoeven and producer Rob Houwer. Bauer cited the Berlinale’s status as an "A" festival, which meant that an accepted film could not be excluded from the competition. This was followed by altercations between the leadership of the Berlinale and Stevens, and between the Berlin and international press. During a press conference, Verhoeven defended his film by stating in these terms: "I have not made an anti-American film. If I were an American, I would even say my film is pro‐American. The biggest part of the American people today is against the war in Vietnam". Other directors that were taking part in the festival withdrew their films in protest. The jury was accused of censorship and eventually disbanded, therefore no prizes were awarded and the competition was suspended.