In these strange times, one can find some comfort hearing stories from one of cinema’s most adventurous actors. Recipient of this year’s BFI Fellowship, Tilda Swinton recently took part in a fascinating one-hour, career-spanning conversation discussing her formative early days as an actor including deeply collaborative creative relationships with Derek Jarman and Sally Potter, as well as working with Lynne Ramsay, Bong Joon Ho, and her Oscar-winning work in Michael Clayton. (Fun side note: she had never watched the Oscars ceremony before winning.)
First, however, she also shared eleven of her favorite films, in case you need some viewing recommendations during self-isolation:
- I Was Born, but… / Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu)
- Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini)
- La Belle et la Bête (Jean Cocteau)
- M (Fritz Lang)
- Medea (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
- My Childhood / My Ain Folk / My Way Home (Bill Douglas)
- Stranger by the Lake (Alain Guiraudie)
- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Watch the full conversation below, moderated by Mark Kermode, and for more, read a poem by Swinton on cinema’s longevity.
As a bonus, check out her recent BFI conversation with Bong on Snowpeiercer.