Michelle Yeoh wiped away her tears as she accepted the Honorary Golden Bear during Berlin Film Festival at Berlinale Palast on Thursday.
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The actress, 63, put on a dazzling display in a glitzy gold gown as she graced the stage to collect her award.
Michelle is renowned for her roles in Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere At Once and Tomorrow Never Dies.
Award–winning filmmaker Sean Baker, who recently collaborated with her on the short film Sandiwara which premieres in Berlin on Friday, welcomed her to stage.
He said: 'Michelle Yeoh is a once–in–a–generation screen presence, the kind who doesn't just appear in movies, but the kind that redefines the temperature of the room. You feel it shift when she walks on screen. Suddenly, the stakes are higher.'
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Sean added the Golden Bear award is 'a symbol of artistic freedom, strength and fearlessness'.
Michelle Yeoh, 63, wiped away her tears as she accepted the Honorary Golden Bear during Berlin Film Festival on Thursday (pictured with Sean Baker)
The actress put on a dazzling display in a glitzy gold gown as she graced the stage to collect her award
He also thanked her for 'the decades of unforgettable performances, for raising the bar for all of us and for reminding us why we fell in love with the movies in the first place.'
Michelle said: 'I feel an immense sense of gratitude and a quiet sense of wonder. Lifetime Achievement is a very big phrase - sounds like a conclusion, but I prefer to think of it as a pause, a moment to breathe, to look back, and then to keep walking forward.'
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She added: 'I never imagined that a girl from Malaysia who loved discipline, dance, dreaming without limits, would travel so far through stories.
'My path has crossed languages and cultures, continents and genres, sometimes gracefully, sometimes a little painfully, but always guided by curiosity and deep faith in cinema.
'Film became the place where I could hold contradictions, strength and vulnerability, seriousness and play, control and surrender.
'It gave me not just a career, but a life far larger than I ever dared to imagine.'
She finished: 'To young artists, especially those who feel unseen or out of place, please know this: Your voice already belongs. Your difference is not something to correct. It is your power.'
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The 76th Berlin Fill Festival kicked off with the world premiere of Shahrbanoo Sadat's No Good Men.
Michelle said 'I feel an immense sense of gratitude and a quiet sense of wonder', as she proudly collected her award
Michelle displayed her age-defying physiques as she struck a pose on the red carpet before her big night
'Film became the place where I could hold contradictions, strength and vulnerability, seriousness and play, control and surrender', Michelle said
Michelle is renowned for her roles in Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere At Once and Tomorrow Never Dies
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Michelle waved to fans in her glamorous gown
Michelle looked loved-up with her husband Jean Todt, whom she married in 2023
Michelle displayed her age-defying physiques as she struck a pose on the red carpet before her big night.
The actress looked loved-up with her husband Jean Todt, whom she married in 2023.
Michelle grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia. As a teenager, she moved to London to train at the Royal Academy of Dance.
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She first gained global attention through Hong Kong action films in the 1990s before going on to star in internationally acclaimed blockbusters, including Crazy Rich Asians.
Michelle received the honorary Golden Bear in recognition of her outstanding achievements in film and cinema.
Previous winners include Helen Mirren, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Tilda Swinton.