Asghar Farhadi is set to receive an honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the upcoming Sarajevo Film Festival. The famous Iranian director and screenwriter is scheduled to receive the award in person, while a retrospective of his works will be presented as part of the festival’s “Tribute to” program.
Farhadi returns to Sarajevo eight years after assuming the position of president of the jury of the feature film competition at the festival in 2018, where he presented his film Everyone knows It was featured on the outdoor program.
The Iranian-born writer and director makes his directorial debut with Dancing in the dust In 2002. After success About Lily In 2009, for which he won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale, Farhadi gained international recognition and critical acclaim with his film. separationWhich won the Oscar and Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film.
Then he left Iran for France to film the pastWhich won Bérénice Bejo the Best Actress Award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. After this film, Farhadi returned to Iran to direct SellerWhich was premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Screenplay and Best Actor (Shehab Hosseini). This film became Farhadi’s biggest success and earned him the second Academy Award of his career. In 2021 his movie hero It won the Grand Prix at Cannes. His latest films, Parallel storiesIt was filmed in France and was also shown in Cannes earlier this year.
“It is difficult to overstate Asghar Farhadi’s importance to world cinema,” said Jovan Marjanovic, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival. “His remarkable works remind us that the deepest dramas are often hidden in everyday life. His films do not offer easy answers; instead, they invite us to look closer, listen more carefully and grapple with life’s complexities. We are honored to welcome Farhadi back to the festival and present him with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo.”
32Second abbreviation The Sarajevo Film Festival takes place from August 14 to 21, 2026.
