Michelle Yeoh delivered a spirited defence of cinema at the 76th Berlin Film Festival as Shahrbanoo Sadat’s No Good Men received a standing ovation to open the festival.
“We are often told that cinema is fragile, that attention is shrinking, that the future is uncertain; but cinema has always lived in uncertainty,” said Malaysian actress Yeoh, in accepting an honorary Golden Bear from Sean Baker.
“In a world that so easily divides us, gathering in the dark to share a story feels quietly radical,” said Yeoh. “I accept this honour not as a finish line, but an invitation to keep listening, to keep evolving, to keep protecting this shared space where stories connect us.”
Yeoh offered her thanks to Baker, who recently directed her in the short film Sandiwara, made with UK fashion house Self Portrait. “I look forward to working with you again; I’m going to hold you to that,” said Yeoh, adding, “but no sex scenes!”
The actress took to the stage after a clip reel celebrating her career to date, featuring her performances in films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, her Oscar-winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and her recent role in the two Wicked films.
“Berlin has always stood for courage, bold storytelling, cinema that dares to ask difficult questions and trust the audience with the answers,” said Yeoh. “This festival has meant more to me than I can say. When I was still searching for where I belonged, Berlin welcomed me. That early welcome mattered. It said there was space for voices from the edges.”
In introducing Yeoh, Anora director Baker had described the Berlinale as “a festival that has always championed bold voices, risk-takers and artists who refuse to be put in a single box, which makes tonight’s honouree pretty much perfect”.
“Michelle, you’ve expanded what leading roles can be,” said Baker. “You’ve expanded who gets to be centred, and you’ve done it with style, humour, discipline, and an unmistakable sparkle in your eyes that says ‘I’m still curious, I’m still playing’.”
‘Night for Afghanistan’
The festival opened with the world premiere of No Good Men, the third feature from Iran-born Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat. Set shortly before Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August 2021, No Good Men is a romantic comedy about the only female camerawoman at a Kabul TV station who is convinced there are no good men in Afghanistan, until she begins working with a reporter who makes her question that belief.
The film was warmly received by the Berlin opening night audience, receiving a standing ovation at the end of the screening, although thankfully no estimations of the ovation’s length were offered.
“It’s amazing to have this spotlight, not only for me but also for the young Afghan cinema,” said Sadat, whose previous two features Wolf And Sheep and The Orphanage, premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. “For the Afghan filmmakers who are trying to figure out, what does it mean to make an Afghan film? What does it mean to be the storyteller of our own stories?
“Afghanistan stories have been told many times by international filmmakers, and they misrepresent Afghanistan. So this is a night for Afghanistan.” France’s Lucky Number is handling sales on the film produced by Katja Adomeit.
The opening ceremony also featured an introduction to seven Competition jurors, including president Wim Wenders, and comments from Tricia Tuttle, as her second edition as Berlin festival director gets underway.
“The art and craft of cinema is in really great shape,” said Tuttle. “It’s really thriving, and it’s been so great to see so many filmmakers throughout the year out there and also in this room, who have made such beautiful work.
“Of course, we have work to do as an industry on infrastructure. But I am very encouraged by how resilient the industry is, and encouraged by green shoots, with younger audiences going to discover classics and getting excited by cinema.”
Having told Screen earlier this week that the industry needs “a 12-month year”, Tuttle also gave a shout-out to representatives of other festivals who were in attendance, with figures from Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Sarajevo and others present.
Other guests to attend the ceremony included Bella Ramsey, Neil Patrick Harris and George Jaques, from Jaques’ Sunny Dancer, which opens the Generation strand today; plus Radu Jude, Daniel Bruhl, and Lars Eidinger.
Festival guests braved a strong rainstorm on the way into the Berlinale Palast venue, although the freezing temperatures forecast for the event have yet to materialise.
In keeping with the jury press conference earlier in the day, the ceremony steered clear of political topics, with the small exception of a gathering of actors bearing ‘Free Iran’ signs on the red carpet, and a separate group of eight holding signs with a quote by German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt, reading, ‘No one has the right to obey. Watch out, fascists! We are more!’
The festival runs until Sunday, February 22.
No comments yet