Tilda Swinton got political as she accepted Berlin Film Festival's honorary Golden Bear, saying 'the inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch.'

Cinema took over a snowy German capital on Thursday evening as the 2025 Berlin Film Festival officially kicked off.

British actor Tilda Swinton railed against the inhumane and praised the power of cinema in the German capital on Thursday evening as she accepted the Berlin Film Festival's honorary Golden Bear award in recognition of her long-running career.

Tilda Swinton spoke about her decision to attend Berlin Film Festival despite calls for a boycott over the war in Gaza, saying it was “more useful to our causes” for her to show up. On Thursday night,

British actor Tilda Swinton chose to attend Berlinale despite Gaza boycott talks, signalling her passion for cinema. Meanwhile, the festival has opened with films addressing themes from migrant acceptance to life-or-death choices.

Swinton was asked by an Israeli journalist during a press conference today (February 14) on her position on the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, and is one of the organisations that has publicly called for a boycott of this year’s Berlinale.

Swinton seemed to reference controversial claims from President Donald Trump to turn Gaza into "the riviera of the Middle East"

"The inhumane is being perpetrated on our watch. I'm here to name it without hesitation or doubt in my mind," the Oscar winner said.

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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.