Isabelle Huppert To Receive Honorary Golden Bear At Berlin Film Fest

French actress Isabelle Huppert will be the recipient of an honorary Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.

As announced yesterday, the festival will premiere Huppert’s latest movie, About Joan, as a Berlinale Special Gala this year. The screening will be held in conjunction with the fest’s award ceremony on February 15, 2022, when Huppert will receive her prize.

Huppert has had a long and glittering career in the biz, performing on screen and stage and across multiple languages including French, German and English. The directors she has collaborated with include Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Haneke, Bertrand Tavernier, Claude Chabrol, Olivier Assayas, Catherine Breillat, Paul Verhoeven and many more.

Her films have appeared in Cannes’ Competition on 20 occasions, a record, and she has featured in the Berlinale’s Competition seven times.

Huppert has been nominated for France’s Cesar prize more than any other actress (16) and has won twice. Recently, she won a Golden Globe for her turn in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle, a part for which she also received her first Oscar nomination.

The Berlinale’s Homage section will be dedicated to the actress this year, screening seven of her films: The Lacemaker; Every Man For Himself; La Ceremonie; The Piano Teacher; 8 Women; Things To Come; and Elle.

“We are proud to welcome Isabelle Huppert back to the festival,” said Berlinale directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, “The Honorary Golden Bear may seem like a natural progression in a career without equal, since Isabelle Huppert is one of the few artists recognized with acting awards at all major film festivals. But Isabelle Huppert is more than a celebrated actor – she is an uncompromising artist who doesn’t hesitate to take risks and flout mainstream trends. Awarding her our most prestigious prize is to accentuate cinema as an art form, independent and unconditional. We often see actors as tools in the hands of filmmakers, but Isabelle Huppert is a clear example that the dynamic can be a true exchange. Actors can be the true engine of creating not only emotions, but also concepts of cinema.”