Iranian Filmmaker Asghar Farhadi to Receive Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award
13 verified4 unconfirmed
Iranian director and screenwriter Asghar Farhadi will be honored with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, running August 14-21. The award recognizes his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema, and a retrospective of his work will be presented as part of the festival’s “Tribute To” program. Festival director Jovan Marjanović praised Farhadi’s significance to world cinema, stating his films invite audiences to “look more closely, listen more carefully and engage with life’s complexities.” Farhadi previously served as jury president for the feature film competition in 2018, where his film “Everybody Knows” screened in the Open Air program. The filmmaker gained international acclaim with Oscar-winning films “A Separation” and “The Salesman,” and his later works “A Hero” and “Parallel Tales” both debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. His career began with short films after joining the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986, and his directorial debut was “Dancing in the Dust” in 2002.
What’s verified
Asghar Farhadi will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs Aug. 14-21.
The award recognizes his “outstanding contribution to the art of cinema.”
A retrospective of his work will be shown as part of the festival’s “Tribute To” program.
Festival director Jovan Marjanović provided a quote praising Farhadi’s work (identical in both sources).
Farhadi served as jury president for the feature film competition in 2018; that year his film “Everybody Knows” screened in the Open Air program.
Farhadi became interested in cinema as a teenager and joined the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986, making short films.
His final thesis at Tehran University focused on Harold Pinter, specifically the importance of silence and pauses.
His directorial debut was “Dancing in the Dust” (2002).
“About Elly” (2009) won the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlinale.
“A Separation” (2011) won the Academy Award and César for best foreign film.
He left Iran for France to shoot “The Past” (2013), which won Bérénice Bejo the best actress award at Cannes.
He returned to Iran to direct “The Salesman” (2016), which premiered at Cannes, winning best screenplay and best actor (Shahab Hosseini), and earned him a second Oscar.
“A Hero” (2021) and “Parallel Tales” (2026) both debuted at the Cannes Film Festival.
Not yet confirmed
One source states Farhadi was born in 1972; the other source does not provide a birth year.
One source notes that Farhadi earned a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts at Tehran University in 1998 and a Masters in Stage Direction; the other source does not mention these degrees.
One source reports that “A Hero” won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival; the other source only says the film debuted there.
One source mentions that Farhadi will receive the award in person and that his fellow Honorary Heart recipient is Emily Watson, who is also serving as festival jury president; the other source does not include these details.
Key figures
Asghar Farhadi (Iranian filmmaker)
Jovan Marjanović (director of the Sarajevo Film Festival)
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
