The award for his contribution to the art of film and unforgettable roles in regional cinema will be presented at the festival running from August 14 to 21.
Actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović has been named the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, it was announced on Saturday. The award is given for his overall contribution to the art of film and a series of unforgettable roles that have marked Bosnian-Herzegovinian and regional cinema.
Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, highlighted the importance of Hadžihafizbegović's body of work for the cultural memory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region. "It is a pleasure to award the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo to an artist whose oeuvre has defined the cinema of the very milieu he comes from," Marjanović said, as reported by N1 Serbia.
Hadžihafizbegović was born in 1961 in Tuzla. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo in 1986, in the class of the celebrated director Emir Kusturica. Over his rich career, he has delivered more than 70 roles in feature films and over 100 roles in theater, film, and other media.
"It is a pleasure to award the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo to an artist whose oeuvre has defined the cinema of the very milieu he comes from"
- Jovan Marjanović, Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival
Throughout his career, he has worked with some of the region's most prominent directors, including Ognjen Sviličić, Rajko Grlić, Jasmila Žbanić, Pjer Žalica, Srđan Vuletić, and Emir Kusturica. The films he has appeared in have been awarded at prestigious world festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, and Rotterdam.
His role in the film "Such Are the Rules" stands out in particular, earning him the Best Actor award in the Orizzonti program at the Venice International Film Festival. The same role also brought him a Golden Arena at the Pula Film Festival and numerous other international accolades.
Beyond film, Hadžihafizbegović has left a deep mark on theater. As a principal actor and director of the Chamber Theatre 55 in Sarajevo, he has built a significant theatrical oeuvre. He is the author of four authorial projects that have toured stages worldwide.
Some of his most notable film roles include "Armin," "The Border Post," "Death of a Man in the Balkans," "Labor Day," "Fuse," "At Uncle Idriz's," "Our Everyday Story," and "Frog." The Sarajevo Film Festival, which for over three decades has been building and promoting the region's film culture, will hold its 32nd edition from August 14 to 21.
