Tilda Swinton Honored at Berlin Film Festival, Calls Out Far-Right Extremism and Human Rights Abuse in Speech
The inimitable Tilda Swinton used her platform in Berlin Thursday night, where she received a Golden Bear for lifetime achievement, to call out political extremism, environmental degradation and the rise of authoritarianism around the world.
Without ever uttering the words Gaza or Palestinian, the Oscar-winning Scottish star also gave an impassioned speech in support of “the great independent state of cinema,” what she called “an unlimited realm, innately inclusive, immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of Riviera property.” (The latter a clear reference to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed plans for Gaza).
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Swinton called out what she termed the “entitled domination and the astonishing savagery of spite, state-perpetrated and internationally enabled mass murder… unacceptable to human society. These are facts. They need to be faced. 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.”
It was a powerful and stirring oration, given a warm and personal touch by Swinton’s close connection to Berlin and its film festival. The actress has been a Berlinale regular for decades, starting back in 1986 with Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio, which won the Silver Bear. Over 26 of her films have screened in various sections of the festival over the years, including Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, which opened the 2014 festival and 2016 Berlinale opener Hail, Cesar! from the Coen brothers. She served as president of the Berlin competition jury in 2009.
“Here’s one of the best things that can happen to young person curious about the world and how to live a life in it,” she said to the festival crowd. “They can find themselves here at the Berlinale. When I first came to this festival, I was 25 and looking for my life, looking for the world and signs of human life there, how I might take my place among it, on the hunt for amazement, for solidarity and connection, and I can say I found it all right here in one fell swoop.”
Swinton won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2008 for her performance in Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton. More recently, Swinton has been enjoying critical acclaim for her turn in Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door (2024), the Spanish director’s English-language feature debut, in which she stars alongside Julianne Moore.
While she’s reached a wider audience with her supporting roles in blockbusters such as Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame, Swinton’s heart has always been with indie cinema, in roles from arthouse auteurs such as as Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, Susperia) Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir, The Souvenir: Part 2), and Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, Okja).
“You’ve worked with so many great heroes of ours: Johanna Hogg, Derek Jarman, Jim Jarmusch, director Bong [Joon Ho], the Cohens, Wes Anderson, Almodovar, Lynn Ramsay,” said German director Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) who presented Swinton with the honor. “Tilda Swinton is so good that many directors cast her twice.”
Swinton stars alongside Colin Farrell in Berger’s upcoming film for Netflix, The Ballad Of A Small Player. Berger noted a colleague referred to Swinton as “a being from a far superior planet. And no, dear Tilda, he did not mean Scotland.”
Concluding her speech, Tilda Swinton thanked the Berlinale “for laying out my life’s magic box of faith; for all the friends I found here; for 40 years of parties and revelations, and for my beautiful, shiny bear. Long live cinema and all its never-ending promise, a light in the dark that never goes out, let’s keep looking up!”
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.