The honor has particular meaning for me because Im a Jewish director.
I feel a little alarmed to be told Ive lived a lifetime because Im not finished.
I want to keep working.
Steven Spielberg, BonoAndreas Rentz/Getty Images
I gotta get back to some of those earlier scary movies but thats another story for later on.
Tonight youre giving the Golden Bear to Steven Spielberg for the right reasons.
But his lifetime achievement is not just his work.
It is his actual life, his actual family.
How come I look like George Lucas, he quipped on seeing the photo.
The presentation of the award was followed by a Berlinale Special gala screening of his latest filmThe Fabelmans.
Many of those in the room appeared to be fans who had grown up with the directors hits.
They said it was too violent.
They came back and they wouldnt stop talking about it.
I went into the heavy change vase, and took out two quarters.
I walked a mile and a half, like you, and I sawThe Searchersunaccompanied.
The director spoke at length about the genesis of the semi-autobiographicalThe Fabelmansahead of the gala screening.
We werent going anywhere.
All I could really do was be with my grown kids… my wife and my dog.
It has been on my mind all my life and its come out in all my films.
I mean, all my films really are personal, and many of them are about family.
But nothing that is so specific to my own experiences asThe Fabelmans.
Im sure had my parents not gotten a divorce.
I would not have chosenEmpire Of The Sunas a film to direct.
All of that is part of what motivates all of us to make those key decisions about commitment.
Spielberg said it was impossible for him to choose a favorite film out of his filmography.
I know its a bit cliche to say this.
Its not very newsworthy, but my films are like my children.
I do not have a favorite, he said.
At the same time, I can tell you that the hardest film I ever made wasJaws.
That was the hardest film I ever made physically.
The most emotional movie I ever made for a long time wasSchindlers List.
But now the most emotional film I was ever involved in wasThe Fabelmans.
Even in recreating those scenes, it was very, very hard to relive.
That became, maybe emotionally, the most involved I was thus far, making a film.
It makes you very reflective.
Berlins Honorary Golden Bear is the latest accolade Spielberg has picked up across his over his decades-long career.
The Fabelmansis in the running in seven Oscar categories this year, including Best Film and Best Director.
