«We are more than you!». German director Wim Wenders, head of the international jury for this year's Berlin Film Festival, said that the films he has already reminded him of why he loves Berlin. Wenders will present the Golden Bear for best film at the closing ceremony on February 21. Director Sean Baker, whose film «Anora» won the Oscar for Best Director last year, was also attending the festival for the first time to present a lifetime achievement award to Yeoh. Baker, who recently worked with Yeoh on a short film about life in Malaysia, admitted he has been a fan of the Oscar-winning actress ever since he found pirated tapes of her early years in Hong Kong in New York's Chinatown. Baker said: «There is no small project for Michelle Yeoh, only one question: how do we make this work authentic? How do we make it come alive?». The opening of the Berlin Film Festival sent a message of support for new voices by honoring Hollywood legend Michelle Yeoh, whom the festival supported and embraced at the very beginning of her career. Accepting the Honorary Golden Bear for her lifetime achievement, Yeoh said, «When I was looking for a place to belong, Berlin welcomed me. That early welcome was so important», adding as she hugged her award, «It showed that there is space for marginalized voices and for artists who are still in the process of forming». This message was reinforced by the opening film, «No Good Deed», a political romantic comedy set in the Afghan capital Kabul shortly before the Taliban took power in 2021. It is directed by 35-year-old Afghan-born Iranian director Sherbanu Sadat. Festival director Trish Tuttle said on the red carpet, «We could have chosen something very obvious, like a film by a director people have heard of, or starring big stars», adding, «But this film made us laugh, and it made us cry». Actors, including Bella Ramsey, Neil Patrick Harris, Daniel Brühl and Lars Eidinger, gathered on the rain-slicked carpet before the ceremony began. Some guests took the opportunity in front of the cameras to make political statements, with one group holding up a sign that read, «Beware fascists!».
