Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

POLITICS

‘It became a political rally’: Catalonia documentary directors return German award

The directors of Netflix documentary "Two Catalonias" said Tuesday they had returned a German award because the involvement of Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont in the ceremony had "politicized" the "neutral" spirit of their work.

Published: 13 February 2019 08:36 CET
'It became a political rally': Catalonia documentary directors return German award
Veronika "Nika" Nikulshina from Pussy Riot with Pyotr Verzilov and Carles Puigdemont, Catalan separatist leader, on stage at the Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin. Photo: DPA

Alvaro Longoria, who made the film about the crisis sparked by Catalonia's failed 2017 independence bid along with Gerardo Olivares, picked up the Cinema for Peace Foundation award from Puigdemont's hands in Berlin on Monday night.

SEE ALSO: The Puigdemont files: What you need to know about the case

As well as handing out the prize for “cinema for peace and justice”, Puigdemont delivered a speech against a trial which began Tuesday in Madrid of 12 Catalan separatist leaders over the secession bid.

He also appeared on stage as a German soprano sang “Don't Cry For Me, Catalonia” — a version of “Don't Cry For Me, Argentina” from the hit musical “Evita”.

“We returned the prize this morning. It became a political rally which we did not want to take part in,” Longoria told AFP by telephone from Berlin.

SEE ALSO: Hundreds rally in Berlin calling for Puigdemont's release

“We felt it did not represent the spirit of the documentary, which is neutral, and that it failed our professional ethics. We do not want to be a tool of information manipulation,” he added.

Longoria said he only decided to attend the ceremony after organizers promised the event would not be “politicized” and that Puigdemont would only hand out the award.

Olivares, the documentary's other director, declined to attend the ceremony after he learnt Puigdemont would be present.

Puigdemont, who fled Spain days after Catalonia's failed independence declaration on October 27th, 2017, is not among the 12 defendants in the dock over the secession bid. Spain does not try suspects in absentia for major offences.

The Cinema for Peace gala was attended by hundreds of guests, including British singer Bob Geldof, acting legend Catherine Deneuve and Free Democrats (FDP) leader Christian Lindner.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

POLITICS

‘Dexit’ would cost Germany 690 billion euros and millions of jobs: economists

According to the German Economic Institute (IW), Germany's exit from the EU – the so-called Dexit – would cost millions of jobs and significantly reduce the country's prosperity.

Published: 19 May 2024 18:04 CEST
'Dexit' would cost Germany 690 billion euros and millions of jobs: economists

In a study presented by the Cologne-based institute on Sunday, the authors showed that a Dexit would cause real GDP to drop by 5.6 percent after just five years. This means that Germany would lose 690 billion euros in value creation during this time.

In addition, Germany as an export nation is dependent on trade with other countries, especially with other EU countries, warned the authors. Companies and consumers in Germany would therefore feel the consequences “clearly” and around 2.5 million jobs would be lost.

The study is based on the consequences of Britain’s exit from the EU, such as the loss of trade agreements and European workers.

Taken together, the losses in economic output in Germany in the event of a Dexit would be similar to those seen during Covid-19 and the energy cost crisis in the period from 2020 to 2023, the authors warned.

Brexit is therefore “not an undertaking worth imitating,” warned IW managing director Hubertus Bardt. Rather, Brexit is a “warning for other member states not to carelessly abandon economic integration.”

Leader of the far-right AfD party Alice Weidel described Great Britain’s exit from the European Union at the beginning of the year as a “model for Germany.”

In an interview published in the Financial Times, Weidel outlined her party’s approach in the event her party came to power: First, the AfD would try to resolve its “democratic deficit” by reforming the EU. If this was not successful, a referendum would be called on whether Germany should remain in the EU.

SHOW COMMENTS