The Sarajevo Film Festival, the largest film showcase from Vienna to Istanbul, will honor Hollywood stars Meg Ryan, John Turturro, and Alexander Payne for their contributions to the art form, according to festival organizers on Monday. Palestinian director Elia Suleiman will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award.
Award recipients will attend the festival’s 30th edition, taking place from August 16-23, where they will screen their most popular films, present their latest projects, and conduct masterclasses, as announced by the SFF.
Founded towards the end of the Bosnian War of 1992-1995 by a group of film enthusiasts, the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) has since received support from industry figures worldwide.
SFF Director Jovan Marjanovic expressed that it is a “great privilege” to bring such prominent industry figures to Sarajevo and connect them with the region’s youth. He noted, “These are the connections that endure, and we see people returning, which allows the festival to grow and evolve.”
The festival will open with the world premiere of My Late Summer by Bosnian Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic and will feature a total of 240 films this year.
Meg Ryan will present a special screening of her 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail at an open-air cinema with a 2,000-seat capacity, along with her latest directorial project What Happens Later, in which she also stars.Fifty-four films from southeastern Europe, Ukraine, and the southern Caucasus will compete for the Heart of Sarajevo award in four categories: features, short films, documentaries, and student films, including 19 world premieres.
“What links all these countries is that they exist on the periphery, both geopolitically and culturally,” Marjanovic told Reuters.“The Sarajevo Film Festival has positioned itself as the hub for these cinematographies, serving as their window to the world and a platform for their collaboration with each other and with the global community.”
