Tilda Swinton on Attending Berlin Film Festival Despite Calls for Boycott Over Gaza: ‘I Was Given a Platform’ That Was ‘More Useful to Our Causes Than Me Not Turning Up’

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Tilda Swinton explained why she chose to go to the Berlin Film Festival amidst boycott demands due to the conflict in Gaza, stating that her presence would be “more beneficial” for their causes.

On Thursday evening, the Oscar-winning individual was presented with the festival’s prestigious Golden Bear honor and delivered a heartfelt address, criticizing the ongoing “state-sanctioned and globally tolerated mass slaughter that is causing fear in multiple regions across the globe.

At a press gathering on a Friday, I—as a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause—was posed a question about the BDS Movement’s campaign urging a boycott of this very festival due to its handling of filmmakers who publicly opposed the conflict in Gaza during last year’s closing event. As a movie critic, I find it crucial to address such matters openly and honestly.

I hold BDS in high esteem and have often found myself pondering its merits,” I shared. “Today, I find myself here because I chose to attend, believing it was a more significant decision for me to make. The festival provided me an opportunity, one that in a private moment, I deemed could be more advantageous for our shared causes than my absence. This was a judgement call I wholeheartedly own up to.

Swinton also stated that she holds great admiration and insight into the necessity people have for experiencing a sense of power. After all, everyone grapples with the sensation of helplessness… and thus, any action or gesture that gives us a feeling of power seems appealing. I acknowledge that boycotting can often be perceived as the most potent form of action we can take.

On Thursday evening during the opening ceremony, the Oscar-winning recipient voiced political sentiments as she accepted her Golden Bear award, stating, “Cruelty is happening under our very eyes.

In a heartfelt address, she praised the festival as “an expansive, boundary-less world that welcomes all without discrimination, oppression, or expulsion.” Further, she described it as “the autonomous realm of cinema,” asserting that it is inherently open and impenetrable to any attempts at control, domination, annexation, exploitation, real estate development, or the creation of exclusive coastal resorts.

What is happening is inhumane, and I’m not shy about saying so,” she asserted. “I stand firm in my convictions to call out this unjust situation, and offer my unwavering support to everyone who sees the unconscionable tolerance of our governments, driven by greed, who align with environmental destroyers and war perpetrators, regardless of their origin.”

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“I’m speaking out against the inhumane actions that are occurring,” she emphasized. “I stand resolute in my convictions to name this wrongdoing without hesitation or uncertainty, and offer my unwavering alliance to all who recognize the unacceptable complicity of our self-serving governments who cozy up to ecological vandals and war criminals, regardless of their background.

For close to four decades, Swinton has been closely associated with the Berlinale, appearing in about 26 films screened at the festival. Some of these include “Caravaggio,” which won a Silver Bear in 1986; “The Beach” (2000); “Derek” (2008); “Julia” (2008); “The Garden” (1991); and “Last and First Men” (2020). Additionally, she served as the president of the Berlinale’s main jury in 2009.

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2025-02-14 12:48