Acclaimed international actress Helen Mirren was in Jerusalem this week to serve as master of ceremonies for the annual Genesis Prize event.

During a gathering at the Jerusalem Cinematheque on Wednesday, Mirren said that being invited to emcee the ceremony was the perfect “opportunity to come back to Israel.”

Mirren said that she’s not only a fan of Israel, but “a believer,” calling the Jewish state an “extraordinary country.”

Mirren first became acquainted with Israel in 1967, when she and her boyfriend worked on a local kibbutz during a backpacking trip.