The Berlin International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, has announced that it is leaving Elon Musk’s social media platform X.

The Berlin International Film Festival has announced that it will leave X on 31 December, after 15 years on the social media platform. It currently has 133,500 followers and will no longer have an official X footprint for its 75th edition, which runs from 13-24 February 2025.

«The Berlinale has decided to say goodbye to X on 31 December 2024. Thank you for following us all these years. Stay connected with all things Berlinale on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and on our website. See you there #Berlinale».

The festival did not elaborate on its decision to abandon X, but given the rise of misinformation and abusive content on the platform since Elon Musk took ownership of the then Twitter in 2022, the move makes sense for a festival, a European cultural institution considered progressive and at odds with far-right voices and Zionism.

In addition, Musk’s regular retweeting of messages in support of the German far-right Alternative for Germany party and his involvement in the presidential election campaign alongside Donald Trump has also upset many users, and is likely to have been a factor in the Berlinale’s move away from X.

The Berlinale is the only one of the three major European film festivals to announce that it is leaving X, although earlier this year, Alberto Barbera, artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, said he was leaving X because of Musk’s statements. What is certain is that so far, the festival’s organising body, La Biennale di Venezia, maintains its presence and continues to actively publish on X, as does the Cannes Film Festival.

The 75th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from 13 to 24 February 2025.

(With information from Euronews)