Tilda Swinton spoke out against “war criminals,” political extremism, and “internationally-enabled mass murder” during her acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany on Thursday.
Per Variety, as Swinton accepted the festival’s Golden Bear award, she said that “state-perpetrated and internationally-enabled mass murder is currently actively terrorizing more than one part of our world.” She also called independent cinema “innately inclusive, immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property,” presumably a reference to President Donald Trump’s proposal to displace Gazans and turn the area into “the riviera of the Middle East.”
“These are facts. They need to be faced,” Swinton said, per Variety. “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.”
Swinton’s award celebrates nearly 40 years of achievement as one of the most revered actors in cinema. While more casual fans may associate her with her role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange films, her highest film achievement came in 2007 when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Michael Clayton. She’s starring opposite Colin Ferrell in the upcoming Netflix film The Ballad of a Small Player.
Swinton’s speech comes amid a tense global political environment that continues to be fraught as Trump continues his first month in office. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Swinton finished her speech on a hopeful note telling the festival on Thursday night that film could serve as “a light in the dark that never goes out, let’s keep looking up.”
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