(ANSA-AP) - BERLIN - The Berlin International Film Festival
became embroiled in the debate about diversity in the movie
industry Thursday, with jury president Meryl Streep dismissing
questions about the all-white panel by telling reporters that
"we're all Africans really." Streep, who heads a festival film
jury for the first time, said she was committed to equality and
inclusion "of all genders, races, ethnicities, religions." The
seven-member jury will choose the winners of the Golden Bear and
various Silver Bear awards at the first of the year's major
European movie festivals. "This jury is evidence that at least
women are included and in fact dominate this jury, and that's an
unusual situation in bodies of people who make decisions,"
Streep said. "So I think the Berlinale is ahead of the game."
Asked by an Egyptian reporter whether she understood films from
the Arab world and North Africa, Streep said that while she
didn't know much about the region, "I've played a lot of
different people from a lot of different cultures." "There is a
core of humanity that travels right through every culture, and
after all we're all from Africa originally," she added.
"Berliners, we're all Africans really." The festival jury's
other members are German actor Lars Eidinger, British film
critic Nick James, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, British
actor Clive Owen, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and Polish
director Malgorzata Szumowska. The festival opens Thursday with
the Coen brothers' comedy "Hail, Caesar!" starring George
Clooney and Josh Brolin. Eighteen movies are in contention for
the Golden Bear prize at the festival, which is in its 66th
edition this year and runs Feb. 11-21. Festival director Dieter
Kosslick said recently that many movies at this year's event
address "the search for happiness" and "migration in the world
in very varying forms." (ANSA-AP).
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