Martin Scorsese arrived at the Berlinale accompanied by his daughter Francesca

Presenting the Golden Bear, director Wim Wenders called his colleague the reigning king of cinema

At the 74th Berlin Film Festival, the classic of world cinema, American director, screenwriter and producer Martin Scorsese was awarded an honorary Golden Bear for outstanding achievements in cinema. The laureate was accompanied by his daughter Francesca, who starred in his films “The Departed” and “The Aviator.”

Martin Scorsese most often avoids attending festivals and does not appear at the Oscars. He visited the Berlinale in 2014, and 10 years later came again to receive an award, and also presented his 2006 film “The Departed” with the participation of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon. He presented different films here, but his premiere of “The Rolling Stones: Let There Be Light,” which opened the festival in 2008, will never be forgotten by those who attended it. The famous group led by Mick Jagger then walked along the starry path. And how it went! All of us then crowded at the entrance to the festival palace in complete delight of what was happening. There hasn’t been anything hotter there in years.

And now fans greeted Scorsese on the star walk in front of the festival palace with shouts, chanting his name. The master was accompanied by his daughter Francesca, who, in accordance with the ever-amazing Berlin fashion, bravely came out in an open, shiny dress, despite the chilly winter day. Francesca is so different from the star-struck dieters. She simply exudes natural beauty. The ceremony was also attended by Sharon Stone and editor of The Departed, Killers of the Flower Moon and other Scorsese films Thelma Schoonmaker.

Scorsese received the award from the hands of German director Wim Wenders, who called his colleague the reigning king of cinema. In response, the laureate gave an emotional speech about the festivals that played a big role in his career and the lives of his colleagues who worked in independent low-budget films, such as Brian De Palma, who was awarded the Berlinale Silver Bear in 1969 for his film Cheers.

At a meeting with journalists, Scorsese talked about the influence of cinema on each of us. “You can remember a film for a lifetime, but decades later, it can become completely different for you, because you have changed,” said the classic. – They often say that the world is moving towards an inevitable ending, but we are still here, we are alive. Cinema is not dying and will not die, but it is changing. Previously, we only watched movies in the cinema. Now everything is different. Technologies are changing rapidly, and only the voice of the author continues to be heard. It could be a TikTok, a four-hour movie, or a two-hour mini-series. We must not allow technology to enslave us, to silence our voices. We need to control the technologies ourselves and direct them in the right direction.”

Scorsese also named new films that made a strong impression on him. These are “Past Lives” by Celine Sohn and “Perfect Days” by Wim Wenders. Both films are nominated for an Oscar, and the first is also a competitor to his Killers of the Flower Moon in the Best Picture category.

Scorsese is currently working on the Jesus project. So far he has not been able to say anything definite about him, only that he constantly returns to the religious topic, since he grew up in a Catholic family.

He also takes part as an actor in the film by American director Julian Schnabel about Dante, who will be played by Oscar Isaac. Scorsese, who has Italian roots, got the role of mentor to the author of The Divine Comedy. But he himself did not talk about it – the information appeared in one of the festival publications.