Asghar Farhadi Receives Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, Speaks on War and Cinema
Two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, running 14–21 August 2026, with the festival organising a full "Tribute To" programme in his honour (Sarajevo Film Festival). The award recognises his contribution to the art of cinema. He is the Iranian writer-director behind A Separation (2011) and The Salesman (2016), both of which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
The Hollywood Reporter interviewed Farhadi at the festival's National Theatre on Tuesday, 18 August (The Hollywood Reporter). He spoke about Parallel Tales, his second French-language film, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and stars Isabelle Huppert and Virginie Efira. Huppert plays Sylvie, a fading novelist searching for inspiration for her next book. The film secured international sales after its Cannes premiere (IMDb). Screen Daily's review called it a convoluted, superficial musing on the interplay between fact and fiction (Screen Daily) — though the reviews are somebody else's page.
Farhadi's connection to Sarajevo runs deeper than this single visit. He served as president of the festival's feature film competition jury in 2018. Festival director Jovan Marjanović said that discussing films with Farhadi, who led the jury a few years ago, builds a meaningful connection (The Hollywood Reporter).
Farhadi used the Sarajevo platform to address the situation in Iran. He told The Hollywood Reporter that Iran is currently at war with the United States and Israel. In April, he issued a public call to artists and filmmakers worldwide when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy what Farhadi described as a "whole civilisation" in the region, urging them to stop the destructive aggression devastating civilian infrastructure. He stated he is against war everywhere, not only in Europe and the Middle East (The Hollywood Reporter).
After finishing production on Parallel Tales in France, Farhadi returned to Iran by car across the border, telling The Hollywood Reporter he loves the people and culture there. His remarks came as fellow Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi faces prison on charges of "propaganda against the regime" (The Hollywood Reporter).
Farhadi is not the only honouree this year. The 32nd edition also awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo to Woody Harrelson, Diego Luna, and Emir Hadžihafizbegović (Sarajevo Film Festival). Previous recipients include Willem Dafoe and Stellan Skarsgård, both honoured in 2025. The festival's 2026 competition jury was presided over by Emily Watson (The Hollywood Reporter).
Farhadi's The Salesman had its own festival triumph at Cannes in 2016, where it earned him the best screenplay prize and star Shahab Hosseini the best actor award (The Hollywood Reporter). His career has moved between Persian-language Iranian cinema and French-language European productions, with Parallel Tales marking his second venture in French, following his earlier work in the language (Cineuropa).
