32nd Sarajevo Film Festival to Honor Woody Harrelson

The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival will honor actor Woody Harrelson with its Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award during its upcoming edition, which runs from August 14 to 21. The festival announced the award on August 3, recognizing Harrelson's career and his historic connection to the city through his role in the 1997 film "Welcome to Sarajevo."

Harrelson will be presented with the award in recognition of his contribution to the film industry. Festival director Jovan Marjanović praised the actor's talent and accessibility, stating that Harrelson is an actor audiences believe in even in improbable roles and that his ease of performance is a hard-won quality. The award has previously been given to figures such as Stellan Skarsgård, Meg Ryan, and Alexander Payne.

The actor's link to the festival and the city is rooted in "Welcome to Sarajevo," a film about the Bosnian War and war journalism directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and later screened at the 3rd Sarajevo Film Festival in 1997, less than two years after the end of the city's siege. The festival will screen the film again this year as part of its open-air program. In it, Harrelson...