Martin Scorsese will receive the honorary Golden Bear from the Berlinale on February 20 for his lifelong work as a director, producer and screenwriter, as reported by the festival organization in a statement. The 74th Berlin Film Festival will take place from February 15 to 25.
"For anyone who sees cinema as the art of crafting a story that is both deeply personal and universal, Martin Scorsese is an exemplary example that has not been surpassed," say festival directors Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, who in April will leave their position and it will be filled by Tricia Tuttle.
"His films have accompanied us as spectators and as people; his characters have lived in us and have grown in us. His vision of history and humanity has helped us understand and question who we are and where we come from," they stressed.
The organization has especially praised his latest film, The Moon Killers, which, in Scorsese's own words, aims to give recognition to the "terror" suffered by the Osage tribe in the state of Oklahoma (USA) and thus provide " some consolation." The statement recalls that the Oscar-winning New York director is "one of the most influential filmmakers in the world of cinema since the 1970s."
The 81-year-old veteran filmmaker's filmography includes more than 70 titles, including Taxi Driver (1975), Raging Bull (1980), One of Our Own (1990), Casino (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), The Departed (2006), for which he received the Oscar for best film after nine nominations or The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
As part of the recognition of Scorsese, the Berlinale will present a large majority of his works, including Shine a Light, about a concert by the Rolling Stones, which opened the festival in 2008. Last year, his compatriot Steven Spielberg was awarded the Golden Bear of honor.
