Tilda Swinton's personal decision to attend Berlinale amid boycott

British actor Tilda Swinton, known for her often eccentric and quirky roles in independent and blockbuster films, said on Friday that she decided "in a personal moment" to attend the Berlin Film Festival despite boycott calls over the war in Gaza.

At a news conference the morning after collecting the event's honorary Golden Bear award in recognition of her long-running career, Swinton also said she was taking a hiatus from acting for at least the rest of the year.

When asked about the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement's calls to boycott this year's festival, Swinton said she had made "a personal judgment call" to travel to the German capital.

"In a way, the most difficult thing we all have to cope with right now is this feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. And so any powerful action gesture we can make feels like a good option," she said.

"I understand absolutely that boycotting can feel, and very often is, the most powerful thing we can do," she said.

"I decided it was more important for me to come. Thanks to the festival, I was given a platform as I am given today, which I decided, in a personal moment, was potentially more useful to all our causes than me not turning up," Swinton said.

In her acceptance speech at Thursday evening's ceremony, Swinton aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump's stated plans to make Gaza the "Riviera of the Middle East" as well as "greed-addicted" governments that enable war criminals and destruction of the planet.

Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement honouree Tilda Swinton holds a press conference in Berlin, Germany February 14, 2025.REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

Acting hiatus

Swinton, 64, also said on Friday that she needed a break and would take the rest of the year off from movie-making to "think and figure out what the next 40 years are".

"When I go home on Monday to Scotland, I'm entering something that I've been looking forward to for about 15 years, a period of my life when I do something different. I can't quite say what it is, but I can say I'm not shooting a film for the rest of this year," she said.

"I want more time. I want time to develop projects, and some are for the cinema, some are not, but I need time," she said.

"And as we know, filmmaking is merciless mistress, and I've been under the lash for a while," she added.

Swinton is known for films such as Michael Clayton, for which she received an Oscar, and The Room Next Door, which won the Venice Film Festival.