Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton was recently nominated for Best Actress at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards for her role in the film “The Room Next Door.” Although she did not win, she received a more significant recognition at the recent 75th Berlin International Film Festival — the Honorary Golden Bear Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Honorary Golden Bear (German: Goldener Ehrenbar) is one of the major awards within the Golden Bear category, presented at the Berlin International Film Festival to honor significant figures in the film industry for their lifetime achievements. Past recipients include outstanding directors and actors such as Willem Dafoe, Isabelle Huppert, Dame Helen Mirren, and Steven Spielberg.
In fact, Tilda Swinton has been closely linked to the Berlin International Film Festival for many years, having served as the jury president in 2009 and starring in 26 films that competed at the festival. She won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1986 for her role in Caravaggio, along with notable films such as The Beach (2000), Derek (2008), and The Garden (1991). As a brand ambassador for @chanelofficial, she graced the event wearing a navy blue haute couture dress adorned with pearl crystals, exuding grace and elegance.
Looking back on her career, she has played many iconic roles since her debut, such as the unforgettable White Witch in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and the wise Ancient One in “Doctor Strange.” As a seasoned actress in both independent films and major international productions, her talent and remarkable performances have earned her numerous accolades. However, her pursuit of art has never ceased, as she continues to explore various artistic domains. One of her most classic artistic works was in 2013 when she collaborated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York to participate in the performance art project “The Maybe 1995/2013,” which showcased her sleeping in a small glass box for the audience to witness.
She gracefully accepted this supreme honor from director Edward Berger of “The Pope’s Selection,” slowly expressing in her acceptance speech the deep connection she has with the Berlin Film Festival: “At 25, I came here searching for direction in life, looking for traces of the world and existence. And now, I can proudly say I have found everything here.” In conclusion, she poignantly ended her speech with the words, “Film is a realm without borders, a light that never extinguishes in the darkness.”
Although she confessed in an interview at the end of last year that “The Room Next Door” might be her final piece, describing it as a “good point of farewell,” hinting at retirement, which shocked fans; she also hinted at the opening of a new chapter, indicating she will explore a brand new milestone that has been brewing for 15 years, while not ruling out the possibility of taking on future projects.
I believe this is definitely not a farewell, but rather a transformation into another artistic life. Let us look forward to this eternally surprising screen magician continuing to shine brightly!
Source @berlinale
