20th Berlin International Film Festival
# 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:

* George Stevens, director and screenwriter (United States) - Jury President
* Klaus Hebecker, journalist and film critic (West Germany)
* David Neves, director, screenwriter and producer (Brazil)
* Véra Volmane, journalist, writer and film critic (France)
* Billie Whitelaw, actress (United Kingdom)
* Alberto Lattuada, director and screenwriter (Italy)
* Dušan Makavejev, director and screenwriter (Yugoslavia)
* Gunnar Oldin, journalist and film critic (Sweden)
* Manfred Durniok, director and producer (West Germany)

## Films in competition

The following films were in competition:

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Country |
| - | - | - | - |
| Days and Nights in the Forest | অরণ্যের দিনরাত্রি Araṇyēra Dinarātri | Satyajit Ray | India |
| A Test of Violence | | Stuart Cooper | United Kingdom |
| The Baby in the Tree | Baby in de boom | Nouchka van Brakel | Netherlands |
| A Baltic Tragedy | Baltutlämningen | Johan Bergenstråhle | Sweden |
| Black Out | Black Out | Jean-Louis Roy | Switzerland |
| Borsalino | Borsalino | Jacques Deray | France, Italy |
| Apart from Life | 地の群れ Chi no mure | Kei Kumai | Japan |
| Dionysus in '69 | | Brian De Palma | USA |
| Jackal of Nahueltoro | El chacal de Nahueltoro | Miguel Littín | Chile |
| | El extraño caso del doctor Fausto | Gonzalo Suárez | Spain |
| A Swedish Love Story | En kärlekshistoria | Roy Andersson | Sweden |
| The Conformist | Il conformista | Bernardo Bertolucci | Italy, France |
| | Klann – grand guignol | Patrick Ledoux | France, Belgium |
| The Howl | L'urlo | Tinto Brass | Italy |
| Eden and After | L'Eden et après | Alain Robbe-Grillet | France, Czecholosvakia |
| A Girl Called Jules | La ragazza di nome Giulio | Tonino Valerii | Italy |
| The Time to Die | Le temps de mourir | André Farwagi [fr] | France |
| The Inheritors | Los herederos | David Stivel [es] | Argentina |
| The Prophet of Hunger | O Profeta da Fome | Maurice Capovilla | Brazil |
| o.k. | o.k. | Michael Verhoeven | West Germany |
| The Customer of the Off Season | אורח בעונה מתה Ore'ach B'Onah Metah | Moshé Mizrahi | Israel |
| Of Gods and the Undead | Os deuses E Os Mortos | Ruy Guerra | Brazil |
| Out of It | | Paul Williams | USA |
| Rembrandt Outlawed | Rembrandt Vogelvrij | Ernie Damen | Netherlands |
| | Rotocalco | Manfredo Manfredi | Italy |
| Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? | Warum läuft Herr R. Amok? | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany |
| The Age of the Fish | Wie ich ein Neger wurde | Roland Gall [de] | West 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 [de], who was present at the screening, to take the film out of the competition. The jury justified their decision by citing a FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations) 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.

