Hyderabad, Feb. 13 -- Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy has announced that she will not attend the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, citing comments made by members of the festival jury on the role of artists in political issues, particularly in relation to Gaza.

Roy had been expected to attend a screening of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, the 1989 film for which she wrote the screenplay. The film was selected for this year's Classics section, marking a renewed global showcase of the work.

The controversy began during a press conference on Thursday, February 12, when the jury, led by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, spoke about the relationship between cinema and politics. During the interaction,...