By Oliver Bradley in Berlin

Spielberg, a three-time Oscar winner, is considered one of the all-time greatest and most versatile directors in cinematic history. At the Berlinale he will receive an honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work in film and social causes.

By Oliver Bradley in Berlin

 Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the greatest Hollywood directors of all time. In honour of Spielberg’s lifetime achievement, the Homage Section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival will be devoted to the American director, producer and screenwriter. Many of his works have become classics of film history.

His 1975 thriller Jaws turned him into a household name, E.T. and Indiana Jones into a star! Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Lincoln, Munich and West Side Story are but a fraction of the films that solidified his place among the most successful filmmakers of all time. Nominated for the Oscars an unprecedented 19 times, Spielberg has won the golden statue three times.

Spielberg has also received numerous Golden Globes and Emmys. He has also been the host of countless honours for his commitment to social causes. In 1998 Spielberg was awarded the Grand Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his film Schindler’s List and his Shoah Foundation. In 2001, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). In 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from sitting US President Barack Obama.

Spielberg is expected to come to Berlin in February to receive the festival’s Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. During the Award Ceremony, the festival will screen his most recent work, The Fabelmans.

“Throughout his incredible career, Steven Spielberg has not only thrilled generations of viewers around the world, but also redefined the meaning of ‘cinema’ as a dream factory. Be it the eternally magical world of youngsters or our reality forever shaped by history; his films transport us to another level, where the screen offers the appropriate surface to unfold our emotions. If the Berlinale 2023 stands for a new beginning, then we couldn’t find a better start than the one offered by Spielberg’s great work,” said the Berlinale management duo Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian.

In The Fabelmans, an autobiographical work, the director takes a very personal look back at his childhood years. Universal Pictures Germany will release the film in German theatres in March 2023. The film premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won the People’s Choice Award.

The Berlin International Film Festival Berlinale will take place 16-26 February, 2023.