The 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival opened Thursday night under heavy rain that failed to dampen the evening’s optimistic mood. Armed with umbrellas and raincoats, stars walked the red carpet at a ceremony marked by enthusiasm for independent cinema and moving speeches, in contrast to the reduced presence of political statements compared with previous years.

The opening came just hours after a tense moment at the jury’s press conference, when a question about the genocide in Gaza prompted visible discomfort and evasive answers from its members. Against that backdrop, the inaugural gala deliberately adopted a depoliticized tone focused on celebrating filmmaking.

Among those braving the downpour were Sean Baker, Bella Ramsey, Karim Aïnouz, Neil Patrick Harris, Radu Jude, Daniel Brühl and Lars Eidinger. Baker attended the ceremony to present the Honorary Golden Bear to Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, dressed in gold for the occasion and starring in his latest project, “Sandiwara,” produced in collaboration with fashion house Self-Portrait.

Onstage, the director praised the Berlin festival’s legacy, describing it as “a festival that has always championed bold voices, risk takers, and artists who refuse to be put in a single box.” “Which makes tonight’s honoree pretty much perfect,” he added. “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.”

Accepting the award, Yeoh thanked Baker and said she looked forward to working with him again. “Just no sex scenes,” she joked with a laugh. The actress also spoke about her special connection to the German capital, noting that Berlin has always supported bold artists and that when she was a young performer, the city welcomed her.

The most emotional moment came when she spoke about her father. “A part of me is still that young girl who simply wanted to make her parents proud. My father is no longer here to see this moment. But I carry him with me, his discipline, his steadiness, his belief that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. And if he could see me here tonight, holding this Golden Bear, I know he would smile.” Her words drew a prolonged standing ovation.

Unlike last year’s edition, when Tilda Swinton delivered a fiery speech denouncing mass killings and Donald Trump’s plan to turn Gaza into a “riviera,” this year’s ceremony steered clear of overt political messaging and focused on cinema. The most explicit statements came on the red carpet, where a group of attendees held signs bearing an anti-fascist quote from Hannah Arendt, while actors Banafshe Hourmazdi, Jasmin Tabatabai, Pheline Roggan and author Düzen Tekkal carried placards reading “Free Iran.”

Inside the auditorium, the mood was deliberately lighter. Yeoh only briefly alluded to a “divided world” in her speech. The competition jury, led by German director Wim Wenders, had already distanced itself from political debate during the morning press conference. “We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics,” Wenders said. “But we are the counterweight of politics, we are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians.”

Festival director Tricia Tuttle, celebrating her second year at the helm, emphasized the strength of independent filmmaking. Appearing alongside co-heads of film programming Jacqueline Lyanga and Michael Stütz, she said the industry is “in really great shape” while presenting this year’s lineup. “It’s really thriving and it’s been so great to see so many filmmakers throughout the year out there and also in this room who have made such beautiful work, so varied,” Tuttle said. She added: “Of course, we do have some work to do as an industry on infrastructure, but I also am very, very encouraged by how resilient the industry is.”

This year’s opening film is “No Good Men” by acclaimed Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat. The romantic comedy follows a camerawoman at a Kabul TV station who becomes entangled with the station’s star male journalist shortly before the city’s fall to the Taliban in 2021. Discussing the film — the first Afghan production to feature an on-screen kiss — Sadat said: “My film is not an agenda film. I didn’t try to put it in there for some special reason. But it’s interesting, because Afghan society is very conservative. So whenever something is not allowed, the demand for it is even higher.”

Although this year’s lineup lacks the double dose of star power that Timothée Chalamet and Jacob Elordi brought to the previous edition, it still includes several buzzy premieres, such as the European debut of Charli xcx’s “The Moment” and Karim Aïnouz’s family satire “Rosebush Pruning,” starring Callum Turner, Elle Fanning and Riley Keough. Other titles to watch include “At the Sea,” Kornél Mundruczó’s latest potential Oscar contender featuring what has been described as a fearless performance by Amy Adams, as well as the international premieres of Sundance standouts “Josephine” and “The Weight.”