As Tilda Swinton accepted her Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement Award at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, the Oscar-winning actress called out the ongoing political extremism and inhumanity that is taking place around the world.
Before diving in, Swinton first praised the festival for being a “borderless realm” with “no policy of exclusion, persecution or deportation.” She then applauded the “great independent state of cinema” for being “innately inclusive — immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property.”
Though the actress didn’t name anyone in particular, Swinton seemed to be making an indirect jab at President Donald Trump’s suggestion for a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip with plans to make it the “Riviera of the Middle East” after saying he would “temporarily relocate” Palestinians.
Swinton then began an impassioned speech alluding to a series of orchestrated, inhumane events of recent years.
“Entitled domination and astonishing savagery of spite, state-perpetrated and internationally enabled mass murder … unacceptable to human society,” Swinton proclaimed. “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.”
German director Edward Berger presented the award to Swinton. The actress shares a long history with the festival dating back to 1986 when her movie with director Derek Jarman, “Caravaggio,” won the Silver Bear. She also served as president of the Berlin-based competition jury back in 2009.
The actress ended the speech on a lighter note and spoke about how the festival impacted her life as an artist.
“Here’s one of the best things that can happen to a young person curious about the world and how to live a life in it,” Swinton said. “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.
“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,” Swinton concluded. “Long live cinema and all its never-ending promise, a light in the dark that never goes out — let’s keep looking up!”
