Woody Harrelson set to receive ‘outstanding contribution’ honour at Sarajevo Film Festival
The Oscar-nominated actor will be presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in recognition of his acclaimed film career as the festival celebrates its 32nd edition.
Woody Harrelson will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival.
Organisers are recognising the Oscar-nominated actor, 65, for what they described as his “outstanding contribution to the film industry and an exceptional acting career”.
Woody has been named as one of the latest recipients of the festival’s highest honour ahead of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs from 14 to 21 August.
The announcement follows confirmation the festival will close with a newly restored version of Bosnian director Danis Tanović’s Oscar-winning film No Man’s Land, marking 25 years since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, while Bosnian actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo.
The award comes as Woody prepares for a busy slate of projects, including the Apple TV+ comedy series Brothers alongside Matthew McConaughey, premiering in September, Quentin Dupieux’s Full Phil with Kristen Stewart and Netflix’s The Cackling of the Dodos with Sam Rockwell.
Best known to television audiences for playing Woody Boyd in Cheers and to film audiences through The People vs. Larry Flynt, No Country for Old Men, True Detective, The Hunger Games, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Triangle of Sadness, Woody remains one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors.
Festival director Jovan Marjanović said the star 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.”
The festival highlighted Woody’s three Academy Award nominations for The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, as well as his performance in Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning satire Triangle of Sadness.
To mark the award, the festival will also screen Michael Winterbottom’s 1997 film Welcome to Sarajevo, in which Woody stars alongside Stephen Dillane and Marisa Tomei.
Festival organisers described the film as “a powerful examination of the war in Bosnia in the mid-1990s and the role of journalists in its media coverage”.
The drama is based on journalist Michael Nicholson’s book Natasha’s Story.
Woody’s forthcoming television series Brothers reunites him with longtime friend Matthew McConaughey, while Full Phil premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
He has also recently completed work on Netflix’s The Cackling of the Dodos, alongside Sam Rockwell.
