Steven Spielberg is credited with more than 30 blockbusters. Now the director is being honored for his life's work at the Berlinale and is also presenting his most personal film, "The Fabelmans". He was in a good mood at the press conference.
"Jaws", "ET - The Extra-Terrestrial", "Schindler's List", "Jurassic Park", "Catch Me If You Can", "Saving Private Ryan" - the list of successful films by director Steven Spielberg is so long how sharp the teeth of the great white shark are. Now, at the age of 76, the American is presenting what is probably his most personal work, "The Fabelmans".
Steven Spielberg is currently in Berlin to present the family drama, in which he himself is the focus as Sammy Fabelman, played by Gabriel LaBelle, but also to collect the Honorary Golden Bear for his life's work. At a Berlinale press conference in the afternoon, which was well attended by journalists from Germany and abroad, he was in the best of moods.
When asked about his motivation for filmmaking, the 76-year-old explained that it had never changed in his life. "I still get excited in the same way when I read a book or have an idea for a film. That feeling has stayed fresh."
The time for the cinematic implementation of his family history then resulted from the pandemic. "The timing for something like this isn't something you consciously come up with." But Covid and the lockdown got the ball rolling. "That gave me time to breathe." And so he thought about what film he would make if he had enough time. "The answer to that was always there. I always wanted to tell the story of my mother, my father and my siblings." His films were often very personal, but none like this one.
Certain patterns can be discerned, but "I never saw my work as therapy. (...) We all experience trauma when we are young, and we have the chance to experience that in music, painting, design, films or to express it in books. I was traumatized as a kid by my family breaking up." He believes that "The Empire of the Sun", in which a boy has to live without his parents in an internment camp in Japan, would not have been made without his parents' divorce.
The fact that his work influenced and still influences many other filmmakers isn't something he's really concerned about, Spielberg also said. But he himself was inspired and influenced by so many other filmmakers, which also finds its stage in "The Fabelmans".
Then he told a story from his childhood days. He was about nine years old when his parents didn't want to take him to the cinema. It was "The Black Hawk" by John Ford - too violent for a child. So the next day, Spielberg secretly sneaked into a performance alone. "Of course I didn't understand the film at that age, that only happened later. I saw it many times after that." However, John Ford laid the foundation for Spielberg's career. Of course, the director legend is also honored in the new film.
"The Fabelmans" celebrates its German premiere this evening as part of the Berlinale and will be shown in cinemas from March 9th. The visually stunning and emotional drama has already been awarded five Golden Globes, nine Oscars could follow on March 12th.
But now Steven Spielberg is happy about the Golden Bear for his life's work. "Right now I'm very happy to be here and able to talk to all of you because you're interested in the things I do. I've obviously been doing something right over the past few decades," he joked. "And to be honored in Berlin at one of the most important festivals in film history is a special honor for me."
