The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, running August 14 to 21, will honor Asghar Farhadi with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, the festival announced on Thursday. The Iranian filmmaker will attend in person. A retrospective of his work will screen as part of the festival's Tribute program.
Farhadi is the only filmmaker from Iran to win two Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. "A Separation" earned that honor in 2012. "The Salesman" followed in 2017. Together they established him as one of the defining voices in world cinema, his films shaped by moral intricacy and a relentless attention to domestic rupture. Festival director Jovan Marjanović said, according to The Hollywood Reporter: "His films do not offer easy answers; instead, they invite us to look more carefully."
The Sarajevo recognition arrives as Farhadi re-enters the international conversation following "Parallel Tales," which premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. He first appeared at Sarajevo as jury president in 2018, when his film "Everybody Knows" screened in the Open Air program. His debut feature, "Dancing in the Dust," was released in 2002.
British actress Emily Watson will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at this year's edition and will serve as jury president of the main competition.
