Berlinale 2026: Michelle Yeoh Accepts Honorary Golden Bear at Opening Ceremony
Reflecting on the state of cinema, the lauded actor said, "to make movies is to step into the unknown."
Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh received a lengthy standing ovation as she accepted the Honorary Golden Bear and saluted cinema during the February 12 opening of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, which was attended by American Cinematographer.
“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 the star of Oscar-winning films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Everything Everywhere All At Once. “Every film begins not with certainty, but with a question. To make movies is to step into the unknown... trusting instinct, courage and the simple belief that the story is worth the risk, that uncertainty is not a weakness. It is the heartbeat of the art in a world that so easily divides us.”
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She added that in gathering to view a film, “we laugh, cry, sit side by side and remember what it is to human for a few hours; our hearts open a little wider, and that matters.”
Yeoh also saluted her collaborators, saying, “this award doesn't belong to me alone,” but to every director, producer, co-star “and every crew member whose artistry lives quietly in every frame. Cinema is never solitary. Even the most intimate moment on screen is lifted by many hands.”
She described accepting the Golden Bear as “an invitation to keep listening, to keep evolving, to keep protecting this shared space where stories connect us.” Speaking to young artists, “especially those who feel unseen or out of place,” she added, “your voice already belongs. Your difference is not something to soften or correct. It is your power.”
Later during a press conference, Yeoh was asked about subjects including diversity, which she admits “continues to be a struggle” in Hollywood, but pledged to continue to show up.
Asked about international work, Yeoh said she would like to do more. “I would love to be back here working with the true greats in European cinema,” she said, also admitting that she’s “dying to work with” Guillermo del Toro, who is being honored with the Board of Governors Award at the upcoming 40th ASC Awards on March 8.
Yeoh’s upcoming work includes Sandiwara, a short set in a Malaysian night market from writer-director Sean Baker, who presented her the Honorary Golden Bear.
