Berlin’s 75th International Film Festival opened with a gala at the Berlinale Palast on Thursday evening. The event was attended by a range of guests, including film director Edward Berger, Culture Minister Claudia Roth and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner. Other notable attendees included Lars Eidinger, Tom Tykwer and Tala Al-Deen, with further stars like Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson and Benedict Cumberbatch expected to appear during the festival.
In her opening remarks, moderator Désirée Nosbusch emphasized the importance of the Berlinale as a platform for challenging one’s assumptions and embracing new perspectives. “It is a place where films can show us the complexity, contradictions and enigmas of the world” she said.
Tilda Swinton received the Golden Bear award and used her acceptance speech to deliver a political message. “State-sponsored and internationally enabled mass murder is currently terrorizing a significant part of our world” she stated. “The inhumane is being committed before our very eyes. I am here to name it without hesitation or doubt and to express my unwavering solidarity with all those who recognize the unacceptable complacency of our governments, which pander to planet destroyers and war criminals.”
Following the gala, the world premiere of “Das Licht” was presented as the opening film. Director Tom Tykwer, the producers and the cast introduced the film in advance.