First actor of Chinese descent to receive the honor! Michelle Yeoh was awarded the Berlinale Lifetime Achievement Award and was moved to tears.

(Kuala Lumpur, 13th) At the opening of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on the 12th, Malaysian Oscar winner Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement, becoming the first actress of Chinese descent to receive the prestigious honor.

Yeoh previously won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2023 for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Accepting the Golden Bear, the festival’s highest honor, she addressed the audience emotionally:

“Please allow me to share a personal reflection in this moment.”

Holding back tears, she said, “There has always been a little girl inside me who only wanted to make her parents proud. Tonight, I think of them, and of the times when I doubted myself, yet they never doubted me.”

Speaking of her late father, she added, “My father is no longer here to witness this moment, but I will always remember him. His discipline, his calm strength, and his belief that if something is worth doing, it is worth giving your all. If he could see me tonight, standing here holding this Golden Bear, I believe he would smile.”

Her heartfelt speech moved the audience to a standing ovation.

Yeoh also expressed her deep connection to Berlin, noting that the city embraced her early in her career. She described the Berlin International Film Festival as a symbol of courageous storytelling — one that supports films willing to raise challenging questions and trusts audiences to seek their own answers.

She later shared on Facebook: “I first came to Berlin in 1999 as a jury member. To return now and receive the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement is deeply meaningful. Thank you to the Berlinale for this recognition.”