Sarajevo Film Festival opens in Bosnian capital

SARAJEVO

Emily Watson will receive the Heart of Sarajevo Honorary Award.

The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) officially opened on Aug. 14 with a red carpet ceremony at the National Theater in the Bosnian capital.

The opening film was “Fatherland,” a 2026 production by Oscar-winning Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski.

One of Sarajevo’s most important cultural events, the festival will feature 51 films competing in different categories for the Heart of Sarajevo awards.

The Heart of Sarajevo Honorary Award will be presented this year to U.S. actor Woody Harrelson, Bosnian actor Emir Hadzihafizbegovic, Mexican actor Diego Luna, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and the head of jury, British actress Emily Watson.

Turkish director İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters,” which won the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, will also be screened as part of the “Focus” program.

Film enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to meet numerous actors and directors during masterclasses organized as part of the festival.

Events under the theme “Confronting the Past” will also focus on events in Palestine. Abdallah Alkhatib, director of “Chronicles From the Siege,” which won the GWFF Best First Feature Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, will attend the festival.

The festival will close on Aug. 21 with Bosnian director Danis Tanovic’s Oscar-winning “No Man’s Land,” released 25 years ago.