By Mansour Jahani
Asghar Farhadi has been honored with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival, recognizing his contribution to contemporary cinema and his distinctive approach to stories about ordinary people facing complex moral dilemmas.
Two-time Academy Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo during the 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The award was presented by Sarajevo Film Festival Director Jovan Marjanović at the National Theatre in Sarajevo as part of the festival’s tribute to Farhadi and his body of work.
Upon receiving the honor, Farhadi described the moment as deeply meaningful, saying, “It is a great moment for me to receive this career award. It is a meaningful award and I am grateful to the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive this award.”
Sarajevo Film Festival Honors Farhadi’s Career
The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo recognizes Farhadi’s contribution to cinema and his decades-long career as a filmmaker whose work examines human relationships, responsibility, truth, family and difficult moral choices.
Marjanović praised Farhadi’s ability to find compelling drama in everyday situations.
“There are filmmakers who build their cinema around extraordinary events; yet Asghar Farhadi does something that is perhaps even more difficult,” Marjanović said. “He finds extraordinary drama within the fabric of everyday life — a marriage, a family, a misunderstanding, or a decision that initially seems trivial and suddenly, we find ourselves in a situation where every choice carries consequences, every individual is understandable, and no one is entirely innocent.”
Marjanović also highlighted the precision of Farhadi’s filmmaking and the way his films gradually expand from personal stories into broader questions.
“Farhadi’s films are incredibly precise, but they never feel constructed,” he said. “They begin with people and their everyday lives and gradually open into much larger questions about truth, responsibility, dignity, family, and the choices we make when there is no perfect choice.”
He further described Farhadi’s filmmaking style as a defining contribution to contemporary world cinema, noting that his films have crossed languages, cultures and borders while remaining closely connected to the societies in which they are set.
Farhadi previously served as President of the Jury for the Competition Programme – Narrative Feature Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2018.
Farhadi: Sarajevo Film Festival Has a Special Cinematic Identity
Speaking after receiving the award, Farhadi reflected on his connection with Sarajevo and the festival.
“It is my second time in the city of Sarajevo. Last time I was here I was a part of the jury. I like all of the atmosphere in the city here,” he said.
Farhadi also recalled the strong audience response to his work in Sarajevo.
“I had a screening here and thousands of people saw my film here. I was so happy to discover this Festival and I’m happy to see how the Sarajevo Film Festival has shaped itself over the past years: it’s a special cinematic identity,” he said.
Farhadi Retrospective Featured in Tribute To Programme
The 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival presented a retrospective of Farhadi’s films as part of its special Tribute To programme.
The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo ceremony concluded with a screening of “A Separation,” one of Farhadi’s most acclaimed films.
The 2011 drama follows a marriage in crisis before developing into a wider examination of class, responsibility, faith, parenthood and truth.
Asghar Farhadi Discusses His Early Relationship With Cinema
Farhadi also took part in a masterclass at the Bosnian Cultural Centre in Sarajevo, moderated by British film critic Neil Young.
The discussion explored his childhood, early encounters with cinema, storytelling, the responsibilities of filmmakers and his belief that cinema should allow audiences to reach their own conclusions rather than provide simple answers to complex questions.
Farhadi recalled that his relationship with cinema began during childhood in a small Iranian town where there was no local cinema. Going to the movies required traveling to a neighboring town with friends.
“I was about seven years old, and I would only see the endings of films,” Farhadi said. “It was strange, but it had a huge impact on me. When you see the ending without knowing what happened before it, your imagination starts working. I started creating my own films.”
He said the experience influenced the way he approaches storytelling, teaching him not to simply accept a story exactly as it is presented.
Farhadi Made His First Short Film at 13
Farhadi made his first short film at the age of 13. During the masterclass, he also spoke about his grandfather, whom he remembered as a major influence and a personal hero.
“My grandfather was my hero. Whenever he came to visit, he could turn everything into a story,” Farhadi said. “I carry his name and, in a way, I feel that the two of us are connected through storytelling. Storytelling became my way of expressing myself.”
Farhadi described his early experiences and observations as a form of informal film education.
“I think we all carry some kind of ‘emotional bank’ within us,” he said. “From the time we are children, we begin collecting experiences, images, feelings, encounters, and stories that we later carry with us, often without even realizing it.”
He added that the time he spent observing people around him during summers with his father became part of that early education.
From Radio and Television to International Cinema
Following the Iranian Revolution, Farhadi’s access to foreign films was limited, and television became an important way for him to encounter world cinema.
At the beginning of his professional career, he wrote a radio play primarily because he needed money. The assignment eventually led him toward television, where he worked on scripts before moving into filmmaking.
His international reputation grew through films that explore moral and social conflicts within ordinary lives.
Farhadi won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for “A Separation,” which became the first Iranian film to receive the Oscar. He later won his second Academy Award for “The Salesman.”
His other notable films include “About Elly,” “The Past,” “Everybody Knows” and “A Hero,” which received the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Farhadi: “Life Is Not Linear; It Is Layered”
Farhadi explained that his films deliberately avoid straightforward moral judgments, leaving audiences to assess the characters and their actions for themselves.
“Life is not linear; it is layered,” he said. “Everything that happens to us remains somewhere inside us and later returns through what we create.”
He added that, unlike more traditional approaches in which filmmakers can tell audiences who is right or wrong, he prefers to allow viewers to take responsibility for their own interpretations.
“I do not want to tell them what to think; I just want to give them enough reasons to reach their own conclusions,” Farhadi said.
Working With Children Is Among the Most Challenging Aspects of Filmmaking
During the masterclass, Farhadi also discussed the challenges of working with children on film sets.
He described working with young performers as one of the most demanding aspects of filmmaking, while explaining the important dramatic role children can play in his stories.
“They bring an emotional dimension to the story,” Farhadi said. “Children are also observers; they watch everything that is happening, and precisely because of that, they intensify the drama.”
32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival
The 32nd Sarajevo International Film Festival took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from August 14 to 21, 2026.
The festival featured films from directors around the world across several Competition categories, including the Feature Film Competition, Documentary Competition, Short Film Competition and Student Film Competition. Films competed for the Heart of Sarajevo awards, alongside a range of Out of Competition programmes.
Festival screenings were held at venues including the Sarajevo National Theatre, Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, Stari Grad Open Air Cinema, Safet Zajko Open Air Cinema and Cineplexx cinema in Sarajevo.
Image credit: Sarajevo Film Festival
More information: Sarajevo Film Festival