The German Cultural Council is awarding Iris Berben (75) the German Cultural Policy Award 2026. The actress is being recognized for her decades-long commitment against antisemitism, racism, and right-wing extremism, as well as her dedication to memorial culture, Jewish life, and democratic education. The association announced the decision on August 6.
The award will be presented on Thursday, September 24, at the Berlin State Library, Haus Unter den Linden. Pianist Igor Levit (39) will deliver the laudatory speech and provide musical accompaniment for the evening.
According to the Cultural Council's statement, Berben has long understood her fame as an obligation. She gives readings, visits schools, participates in public discussions, and delivers speeches in which she commemorates the crimes of National Socialism. She advocates for the visibility of Jewish life just as she opposes antisemitism and misanthropy. "She understands memorial culture not merely as preservation of the past, but as a democratic task of the present", the announcement states.
"She speaks up where silence would be convenient"
Olaf Zimmermann, Executive Director of the German Cultural Council, emphasizes precisely this attitude in his statement: "Iris Berben has demonstrated for decades what societal power artists can unleash when they raise their public voice on behalf of others." She speaks up where silence would be convenient and makes clear "that confronting antisemitism, racism, and right-wing extremism is an ongoing task for our society".
Zimmermann also references her involvement in the Cultural Integration Initiative. He describes her commitment as "credible, persistent, and of great cultural-political significance". Berben is "a highly deserving recipient of the 2026 German Cultural Policy Award".
From "Triangle of Sadness" to "Deutsches Haus"
Berben has been working in front of the camera since the 1960s. During this time, she has accompanied generations of viewers through film and television productions and received numerous awards, including multiple Golden Cameras and Bambi Awards. She also works as a voice actor and audiobook narrator.
Her recent acting work includes Ruben Östlund's feature film "Triangle of Sadness", which won the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Additional projects include the Netflix production "Paradise" and the Disney+ series "Deutsches Haus".
In cultural policy, she also served as President of the German Film Academy. From 2010 to 2019, she advocated for the interests of filmmakers in Germany in this position.
The German Cultural Council has awarded the German Cultural Policy Award since 2021 for outstanding cultural policy achievements. It evolved from the "Kulturgroschen", with which the association had honored lifetime cultural policy achievements and contributions of long-term significance since 1992. In 2025, former Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters (64, CDU) received the Cultural Policy Award.
