BERLIN, Feb 16 — Even the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival’s opening ceremony was not free of politics yesterday evening as demonstrators and celebrities turned out in nearly equal measure in the centre of the German capital.

The cast of the Irish historical drama Small Things Like These, including the Oscar-nominated Cillian Murphy as well as Matt Damon in a producer role, were on the carpet, as were German stars Lars Eidinger, in competition film Sterben, and Heike Makatsch, known for Love Actually, among others.