LOS ANGELES: Cate Blanchett, accepting an honor for her film work, made reference to the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut and said her own efforts “feel very insignificant” in view of what’s happening in the world.

Blanchett was honored on Tuesday evening at the Museum of Modern Art’s eighth annual film benefit, which raises funds so that important cinematic works can join the museum’s collection.

“All my efforts do feel very insignificant in view of what’s going on in the world at the moment, the horrific events in Europe and the Middle East,” Blanchett said, “and the thousands of refugees who travel across the borders, and their plight, their peril has become even more precarious and difficult.”

“But,” she added, “and this is going to sound like a massive justification — perhaps it is in the face of what’s going on in the world — sometimes you’re presented with the opportunity of working on projects that perhaps might last and perhaps have something interesting and important to say, and last year was definitely one of those years for me.”

She was referring to the two current movies that both are generating serious awards buzz for the two-time Oscar winner. One is Truth, in which Blanchett plays the real-life role of CBS producer Mary Mapes, whose career ended following her report about George W. Bush’s National Guard service. In an earlier red carpet interview, Blanchett said she was “so fascinated to play the role of a real-life person in free fall in a very unexplored part of recent media history which I think it’s quite timely to think about, how we process and digest our news.”