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Honorary Heart of Sarajevo to Agnès B. and Gael García Bernal at the Opening of 20th SFF

Three films will be screened on the opening night of the Sarajevo Film Festival’s 20th edition in the venues that have already become the Festival’s trademark sites.

In this way, we will mark our jubilee by celebrating film, by offering a real treat to our audiences and all the film lovers - it will be a true day of celebration in three legendary festival venues: HT Eronet Open Air Cinema, National Theater and Meeting Point Cinema. 

With a gala screening in the HT Eronet Open Air Cinema, the Festival will honor the contemporary Mexican cinema which will be the spice of the program of its 20th edition. Film masterpiece AMORES PERROS, the debut feature of the now legendary Mexican director Alejandro Iñárritu will be presented to the filmgoers in the festival’s largest screening venue. Iñárritu’s debut film heralded the emergence of the Mexican new wave cinema comprising young, extremely talented and prolific filmmakers. AMORES PERROS also introduced to the world a fantastic new actor Geal García Bernal who at the time was only 20. Since watching Bernal as Octavio in Iñárritu’s premier feature, Sarajevo festivalgoers had opportunity to see many of his extraordinary performances, including in the starring roles in Pedro Almodóvar’s BAD EDUCATION, Lukas Moodysson’s MAMMOTH, Julia Loktev’s THE LONLIEST PLANET and Alfonso Cuarón's AND YOUR MOTHER TOO (Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN).

Bernal will not only attend the screening in the HT Eronet Open Air Cinema as a honorary guest of the festival, but will also meet with young filmmakers from the countries of Southeast Europe a day later to mark the opening of the Sarajevo Talents which had been launched and is implemented in cooperation with the Berlinale. 

The BRIDGES OF SARAJEVO (LES PONTS DE SARAJEVO) omnibus, which premiered in the program of the recently finished Cannes Film Festival, will also be screened on the opening night of the Sarajevo Film Festival. Most directors including Christi Puiu, Vladimir Perišić, Aida Begić, Marc Recha, Angela Shanelec, Isild Le Besco, Luis da Matta Almeida, Jean-Michel Frodon - will attend the screening of their film at the National Theater. The film is a tribute to Sarajevo, the city whose destiny was closely tied to the major historic events which shaped the 20th century. 

Just like in the previous years, our Meeting Point Cinema will again be at the center of attention of the art house film fans. Their favorite festival program Kinoscope opens on the first night of the festival with the screening of the Icelandic film OF HORSES AND MEN by Benedikt Erlingsson. The theme of this feature is a classic story of the fight between men and nature, the efforts of humans to harness the animalistic powers of nature for their own gain…or fall.The film won numerous awards in festivals around the world. The film’s main actor Igvar Sigurdsson will attend the screening in the Meeting Point Cinema on the opening night of the Sarajevo Film Festival. 

The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo awards will be presented on the opening night of the festival to designer and filmmaker Agnès B. and actor Gael García Bernal. A day later, Agnès B. will present her feature JE M'APPELLE HMMM... to the Sarajevo audiences. Director Danis Tanović, the third laureate of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award this year, will receive his prize in the National Theater on the last night of the 20th Sarajevo Film Festival. 

 

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