The 31st Sarajevo Film Festival has announced that Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård and English actor Ray Winstone will be honoured with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award.

Jovan Marjanović, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival praised Sorrentino's unique ability to transform personal narratives into universal stories. “Paolo Sorrentino has managed to do what every filmmaker dreams of – he has made a global impact through local, personal stories. With a visually luxurious, emotional and intellectually insightful style, he has won the hearts of audiences around the world, who saw his characters, no matter how eccentric or withdrawn, as a mirror of our world – often absurd, sometimes cruel, but always deeply human.”

When talking about Skarsgård, Marjanović says "He has been a longtime friend of Sarajevo, and we are delighted to welcome him back. His career is filled with unforgettable roles in films that challenge, move, and stay with audiences. This award is a heartfelt thank you for his outstanding contribution to cinema and for the continued support he has shown to our festival.”

As for Winstone, Marjanović says “He is an actor who has captivated audiences for five decades with his great talent and undeniable presence. With honesty and intensity that resonate far beyond the screen, he has given us many unforgettable characters."

The festival will celebrate Sorrentino's career with a comprehensive retrospective of his work as part of the "Tribute to" programme, which will also include a master class by the filmmaker. Sorrentino began his feature-film career with One Man Up [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nicola Giuliano
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interview : Paolo Sorrentino
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Skarsgård, a longtime friend of the Sarajevo Film Festival, as well as a curator and one of the patrons of the Katrin Cartlidge Foundation - whose scholarships were awarded at the Sarajevo Film Festival - presented the foundation’s scholarship to Juanita Wilson at the Festival’s 15th edition in 2009. "The Sarajevo Film Festival remains unwavering and driven in its aim to highlight subjects of great consequence, underscored by an intense lust for life. I love going there”, says Skarsgård. Skarsgård's international breakthrough came in 1982 with Hans Alfredson’s The Simple-Minded Murderer, for which he won the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Actor, and was cemented later in 1996 with Breaking the Waves, which launched his long-running collaboration with Lars von Trier. His first significant Hollywood role came in 1990 when he portrayed a Russian submarine captain in The Hunt for Red October, and has since worked with filmmakers such as Gus Van Sant, Steven Spielberg and Miloš Forman. He has recently appeared in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, the Star Wars series Andor and Joachim Trier's Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value [+lire aussi :
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Winstone, one of the UK’s most prolific actors, has marked over forty years in the industry. From blockbusters to independent films, Ray’s film credits are extensive - most recently including Stephen Moyer's indie A Bit of Light, James Marsh’s heist drama King of Thieves [+lire aussi :
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The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, established in 2005, recognises individuals who have made exceptional contributions to cinema and supported the development of the film industry.