Paolo Sorrentino is set to be awarded an Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at this year’s upcoming Sarajevo Film Festival. A retrospective of his films will be shown during the 31st edition of the festival as part of its ‘Tribute To’ program and the Italian filmmaker will also hold a masterclass during the festival, where he’ll share his thoughts on contemporary art.
Born in Naples in 1970, Sorrentino’s credits include The Consequences of Love and The Family Friend, which both competed for the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2004 and 2006 respectively, while his film Il Divo won the Jury Prize in 2008. He returned In Competition at Cannes in 2011 with This Must Be the Place and two years later with The Great Beauty, which won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award for Best Foreign Language Film as well as three European Film Awards.
He’s also the creator and director of hit TV series The Young Pope and its follow up The New Pope.
“Paolo Sorrentino managed to do what every filmmaker dreams of – he left a global impact through local, personal stories,” said Sarajevo Film Festival Director Jovan Marjanović. “With visually luxurious, emotionally filled and intellectually insightful style, he won the hearts of audiences around the world, who saw his characters, no matter how eccentric or withdrawn, as a mirror of our world, often absurd, sometimes cruel, but always deeply human. The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo is a recognition of the great beauty that he gave us with his films.”
Sorrentino said: “I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious recognition and grateful for the attention given to my filmography. I look forward to being with you in Sarajevo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The 31st edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival takes place August 15-22, 2025.
