Woody Harrelson will be awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the film industry and an exceptional acting career,” the festival said Monday.
The news follows announcements over the weekend that the festival would close with a newly restored version of Bosnian director Danis Tanović Oscar-winning film “No Man’s Land,” 25 years after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and that Bosnian actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović would also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo.
Jovan Marjanović, director of the festival, said Harrelson is “one of those actors you believe in even in the most improbable roles, while at the same time you can easily imagine him as someone you might spend time with every day.”
He added, “That remarkable ease of performance is, in fact, one of the hardest qualities to achieve on screen, yet he delivers it film after film. His talent, charisma and boldness serve as an inspiration to many future generations.”
Illustrating Harrelson’s versatility and prowess as an actor, the festival cited his Oscar nominations for “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “The Messenger” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and his performance in Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness.”
