Tilda Swinton got political as she accepted Berlin Film Festival‘s Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement at its opening ceremony on Thursday night, saying “the inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch.”
In a poetic speech, the Oscar winner lauded the festival as “a borderless realm with no policy of exclusion, persecution or deportation.” The “great independent state of cinema,” she added, is “innately inclusive — immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property.”
She then acknowledged that “state-perpetrated and internationally-enabled mass murder is currently actively terrorizing more than one part of our world,” though she didn’t go into specifics.
“These are facts. They need to be faced,” Swinton continued. “So for the sake of clarity, let’s name it. The inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch. I’m here to name it without hesitation or doubt in my mind and to lend my unwavering solidarity to all those who recognize the unacceptable complacency of our greed-addicted governments who make nice with planet-wreckers and war criminals, wherever they come from.”
This year’s Berlinale comes amid political turmoil in Germany, taking place in the lead-up to crucial general elections on Feb. 23. The elections have been marked by the rise of right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has caused controversy with its anti-immigration stance. Elsewhere, the U.S. has also just entered into a second presidency under Donald Trump, and though a ceasefire was called in the Israel-Hamas war, the conflict in Gaza remains fragile. Last week, Trump suggested a plan to move Palestinians out of the territory and turn it into a “riviera of the Middle East.”
Swinton has had close ties to the Berlinale for nearly four decades, starring in 26 films in the festival’s selection including “Caravaggio,” which won the Silver Bear in 1986; “The Beach” (2000); “Derek” (2008); “Julia” (2008); “The Garden” (1991); and “Last and First Men” (2020). She also presided over the Berlinale’s main jury in 2009.
The award was presented to the Oscar-winning actress by “Conclave” helmer Edward Berger, who is directing her in the upcoming film “The Ballad of a Small Player.”
“Tilda Swinton is so good, that many directors cast her twice — except Todd Haynes, which I think that should be in the future,” Berger said, pointing out jury president Haynes in the crowd, who worked with Swinton on Bob Dylan movie “I’m Not There.”
Berger, who conducted an “empirical analysis” of Swinton’s films for the occasion, said he concluded that “for you, the filmmaker comes first. For you, good films grow out of the relationships with the auteur. Your performances are portals that can take us into many worlds.”
As Swinton started to tear up, Berger added: “I love your theatricality when you choose to go for it. Because for you, it is better to fail than it is to be safe. We’ve got so much to learn from you, Tilda.”
Swinton more recently appeared in “The Room Next Door,” her second collaboration Pedro Almodóvar, and Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The End.” She’s also known for her collaborations with Wes Anderson, including “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The French Dispatch” and “Asteroid City.” She received an Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in 2007’s “Michael Clayton.”
The Berlin Film Festival runs through Feb. 23.
