With Isabelle Huppert, the Berlinale honored one of the most well-known faces in French film. Because of a positive corona test, she takes part in the award ceremony via video.
Berlin – The French actress Isabelle Huppert has been awarded the Berlinale’s Honorary Golden Bear. The 68-year-old was connected to the award ceremony in Berlin via video from Paris on Tuesday evening.
Huppert had to cancel her originally planned visit to the film festival at short notice because she had tested positive for the corona virus.
Festival director Mariette Rissenbeek described Huppert as a “very passionate actress”, her colleague Carlo Chatrian spoke of her roles as “characters against the mainstream”. The actor Lars Eidinger, Huppert’s partner in her latest film “À propos de Joan”, spoke of the supposedly closed appearance. “The moment the camera rolls, it opens.”
Huppert said she is not alone in Paris because all her previous films are with her. She acted in about 150 movies, TV productions, series. She announced another 100 films to the delight of viewers in Berlin. “Cinema makes us feel better, makes us happy,” said the actress.
Huppert and Eidinger in the leading roles
“À propos de Joan” was presented on Tuesday evening as a special gala at the Berlinale. In the film by French director Laurent Larivière, Huppert and Eidinger (46) play a couple with a significant age difference.
From the perspective of the film festival, Huppert is an inimitable artist “who does not hesitate to take risks or to oppose the mainstream”. In addition to the Honorary Golden Bear, a homage with several films with Huppert such as “8 Frauen” by François Ozon, “Everything that comes” by Mia Hansen-Løve and Paul Verhoeven’s thriller “Elle” will be shown during the Berlinale.
Twice she received the French César (“Beasts”, “Elle”), received the Silver Bear at the Berlinale (“8 Women”), the Silver Palm in Cannes (“Violette Nozière”, “The Piano Player”), European Film Awards, the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination each for “Elle.”
Filmed with the big names
Isabelle Anne Huppert is a child of the French capital. Born in Paris, the mother of three children still lives there. At the age of 14 she took acting lessons. Filmmakers noticed her early on. She shot with Jean-Luc Godard, François Ozon, Claude Chabrol, Michael Hanecke, Anne Fontaine and Paul Verhoeven. On the theater stage she worked with Peter Zadek, Bob Wilson or Yasmina Reza.
The Berlinale has already honored a number of filmmakers for their life’s work, most recently the actresses Helen Mirren and Charlotte Rampling. dpa
