Berlin Film Festival Quits Elon Musk’s X

The Berlin Film Festival has become the latest European A-list fest to exit the social media platform X.

In a statement posted Monday, the Berlinale said it has “decided to say goodbye to X on Dec 31, 2024,” shifting its social media focus to other social media platforms. “Stay connected with all things Berlinale on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and our website,” the post concludes.

The post does not elaborate on the reasons for the X exodus but the political leanings of CEO Elon Musk, one of the most prominent supporters of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, are likely a factor. Since late 2022, when Musk acquired X (formerly known as Twitter), the platform has become increasingly open to voices from the right-wing and far-right, putting it at odds with European cultural institutions like the Berlinale, which traditionally see themselves as progressive. The Hollywood Reporter has asked the Berlinale to clarify its reasons for leaving X but has not yet received a response.

Musk has not been shy about weighing in on German political issues, regularly re-tweeting and commenting on posts supporting the far-right AfD party and its anti-immigrant policies.

Earlier this year, long-time Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera publicly quit X, noting that he had “definitely lost the desire (already weakened) to remain on a platform, the objectives and purposes of which I no longer share,” a clear reference to the platform’s political shift under Musk’s leadership.

The Venice artistic director did not detail which exact statements by Musk – who acquired X in October 2022 – had driven him to make the move.