The Oscar-winning Scottish actress Tilda Swinton will head a panel of actors, filmmakers and producers to choose the winners of the festival’s coveted Golden and Silver Bear prizes to be awarded in Berlin on February 14.
“Her commanding screen presence has made an indelible impression on contemporary, innovative filmmaking,” festival head Dieter Kosslick said in a statement.
The ginger-haired star made her screen debut in 1986 in Derek Jarman’s ‘Caravaggio’, which won a Silver Bear prize at the festival. Earlier this year she starred in the Berlin competition entry ‘Julia’ and wrote and co-produced a film portrait of Jarman, ‘Derek’, which appeared in the festival’s Panorama section.
She picked up an Academy Award in February for best supporting actress for her role as a ruthless corporate attorney in ‘Michael Clayton.’
The Berlinale ranks below Cannes and alongside Venice among the world’s top film festivals.