At the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival, the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award will be presented to Asghar Farhadi, the renowned Iranian director a two-time international Oscar winner and other prestigious international honors.
According to the report of Mansour Jahani, an independent and international film journalist, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema, Asghar Farhadi will be honoured with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. The acclaimed Iranian director and screenwriter will accept the award in person, while a retrospective of his work will be presented as part of the Festival’s Tribute To programme.
The Significance of Asghar Farhadi in World Cinema
Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo International Film Festival, commented on Farhadi’s standing in the cinematic world: “It is difficult to overstate Asghar Farhadi’s significance to world cinema. His remarkable body of work reminds us that the most profound dramas are often concealed within everyday life. His films do not offer easy answers; instead, they invite us to look more closely, listen more carefully and engage with life’s complexities,”
Farhadi previously presided over the festival’s jury in 2018
Farhadi returns to Sarajevo eight years after serving as President of the Jury for the Feature Film Competition at the 24th Sarajevo Film Festival in 2018, where his film “Everybody” Knows was screened in the Open Air programme.
Farhadi as a Young Film Student and a Thesis on the Works of Harold Pinter
Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. He became interested in cinema when he was a teenager and started his education in filmmaking by joining the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986 where he made 8mm and 16mm short films. He received his Bachelor of dramatic Arts at Tehran University in 1998 and his Masters in Stage Direction a few years later. He devoted his final thesis to Harold Pinter and in particular the importance of silence and pauses in the playwright’s work.
A Look at Asghar Farhadi’s Prestigious Awards
Farhadi made his directorial debut with Dancing in the Dust (2002). After success of About Elly (2009), for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale, Farhadi gained international recognition and critical acclaim with A Separation (2011), receiving no less than seventy awards, including an Academy Award® and a César for Best Foreign Film. He then left Iran for France to shoot The Past (2013), which won Bérénice Bejo the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.
Two-time Oscar winner for “A Separation” and “The Salesman”
He then returned to Iran to direct The Salesman (2016) which premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where the film won Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Shahab Hosseini). The film became Farhadi’s biggest success and earned him the second Academy Award® of his career. The film, A Hero (2021) won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
“Fatherland” to Open the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival
“My films, especially the last three which are steeped in history, have a very good home there. I’m very happy to be back and very thrilled that it’s the opening film of the festival”, said Pawlikowski.
“Fatherland”, the new film by Oscar® winning director Paweł Pawlikowski, will open the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival. The director will personally welcome audiences at the gala screening on August 14, 2026 with the film that rounds up his Cold War trilogy.
Jury President Emily Watson to Receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo
“Twenty years after her last visit to Sarajevo, we are truly delighted to welcome Emily Watson back to the festival”, said Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival
British actress Emily Watson, one of the world’s most acclaimed performers, whose career has included a string of award-winning film, television, and theatre roles, will serve as President of the Jury for the Competition Programme – Feature Film at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival.
In addition to deciding on the award winners together with her fellow jurors, the actress will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the festival, in recognition of her immense contribution to world cinema.
Emily Watson Has Left a Profound Mark on Contemporary Cinema
“Twenty years after her last visit to Sarajevo, we are truly delighted to welcome Emily Watson back to the festival – this time not only as the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, but also as President of the Competition Jury. An actress whose talent, intelligence and dedication to the craft have left a profound mark on contemporary cinema, Emily Watson has, throughout her remarkable career, moved audiences and critics alike with performances of extraordinary emotional precision and strength. I believe the filmmakers in this year’s programme will be just as excited as we are to know that she will be watching their work in Sarajevo. She has long had a special place in the hearts of our festival audience, so honouring her with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo feels both natural and deeply deserved,” said Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Festival.
Educational Masterclasses with Renowned Cinema Experts
Additionally, the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival will feature educational masterclasses and a series of film-related discussions led by a number of distinguished figures from world cinema.
Prix Cineplexx Launches New Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival
As the leading cinema chain in Southeast Europe, Cineplexx is a natural partner for an award that honours the audience’s choice while supporting the theatrical life of regional films beyond the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival.
At its 32nd edition, the Sarajevo Film Festival will present a new award for the first time: the Prix Cineplexx, established in partnership with Cineplexx, the leading cinema chain in Southeast Europe. Conceived to further strengthen the link between festival recognition and a film’s theatrical life, the award underscores a shared commitment to supporting films beyond the festival circuit and into cinemas.
The Prix Cineplexx is awarded to the best film in the Open Air Premiere programme, as chosen by the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival audience. The prize has a total value of 20,000 euros, comprising 15,000 euros in services for a marketing campaign in Cineplexx cinemas to support the winning film’s theatrical distribution, and 5,000 euros in cash, presented to the film’s producer.
Rebuilding Civil Society and Preserving a Cosmopolitan, Multicultural Spirit
Towards the end of the four-year siege of Sarajevo, in 1995, Obala Art Centar initiated the Sarajevo Film Festival with the aim of helping to reconstruct civil society and retain the cosmopolitan spirit of the city.
Today, three decades later, the Sarajevo Film Festival is the leading film festival in the region, recognized by both film professionals and the wider audience. The Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a special focus on the region of South-East Europe, shining an international spotlight on films, talent and future projects from the region.
High quality programming, a strong industry segment, an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers and thus generated presence of the international film industry, film authors and media representatives alongside a paying audience of over 100,000, confirm its status as the leading film festival in the region, recognised by both professionals and the wider audiences.
Focus on the Cinema of Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus, and Ukraine
The Sarajevo International Film Festival held annually with a focus on the cinema of Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus, and Ukraine is hosting its 32nd edition. The event features screenings of films by directors from around the world across several Competition categories including; Feature Film Competition, Documentary Competition, Short Film Competition and Student Film Competition where entries vie for the Heart of Sarajevo awards additionally, several Out of Competition sections will be held from August 14 to 21, 2026, at the Sarajevo National Theatre, the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, the Stari Grad Open Air Cinema, the Safet Zajko Open Air Cinema, and the Cineplexx cinema in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Credit images Website Sarajevo Film Festival
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