“Please allow me this one personal moment,” the 63-year-old, who won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023, told the audience in the German capital as she collected the festival’s Honorary Golden Bear award.
“A part of me is still that young girl who simply wanted to make her parents proud,” Yeoh said, fighting back tears.
“I think of them now, of the quiet, very quiet faith they placed in me when I was not always certain of myself.”
“My father is no longer to see this moment. But I carry him with me. His discipline, his steadiness, his belief that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If he could see me standing here tonight holding this golden bear, I know he would smile.”
Yeoh, whose speech was met with standing ovations, had fond thoughts for Berlin, saying the city had welcomed her early on.
The festival, known as the Berlinale, stands for courageous storytelling, for films that ask difficult questions and trust the audience to find the answers, she said.
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