In recognition of his outstanding career and ineffaceable contribution to cinema, the acclaimed Mexican actor, director and producer Diego Luna received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo tonight at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema. After the ceremony, Luna’s film ASHES screened in Open Air programme.
The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was presented to Diego Luna by Jovan Marjanović, director of Sarajevo Film Festival.
“Tonight, we have the pleasure of welcoming to Sarajevo an artist whose career has crossed borders in almost every possible sense. Diego Luna began acting as a child in Mexico, growing up around theatre and cinema, and finding his own place within them from a remarkably young age. Then, at the beginning of the 2000s, Y Tu Mamá También introduced him to audiences around the world and made him one of the faces of an extraordinary new generation of Mexican cinema. What followed is a rare kind of career. Diego became an international star, moving naturally between Mexican cinema and some of the biggest productions in the world, but somehow never allowing that success to define him. He has remained unmistakably himself. Curious, independent, generous, deeply connected to where he comes from, and always interested in what cinema can do beyond the screen,” said Jovan Marjanović.
„This is so special, you are the second audience that will see this film, and probably the first real audience watching this film. This is a very important night for me, you made my dream come true. You are probably more people than what I expected to see this film at home. These numbers are amazing. Please keep showing up, please keep fighting for your festival, please make sure it keeps growing and growing, and telling people cinema matters. Thank you so much. I now have to take a picture because people working at this film have to see what I am seeing. Thank you so much or being here and giving me this award“, said Diego Luna.
This morning at the Festival Centre (Bosnian Cultural Centre), Luna held a Masterclass during which he shared his experiences and his thoughts on contemporary cinema with young talents, film professionals and the Festival’s audience. The Masterclass was moderated by Zulfikar Filandra.
Luna first captured international attention with his breakout performance in Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también (2001), a role that established him as one of Mexico’s most compelling screen talents. This led to further collaborations across Mexico, Spain, the United States, England and Germany, working with directors such as Steven Spielberg, David Trueba, Gus Van Sant, Harmony Korine and Agustín Díaz Yanes.
Most recently, he starred in and executive-produced the Disney+ series Andor (2022), earning two Golden Globe® nomination and two Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Actor for his work in both seasons. The series received widespread critical acclaim, including eight Emmy® Award nominations for its first season and fourteen for its second season in 2025, including Outstanding Drama Series. He also received two Normal Felton Award nominations (2023 and 2026) alongside the team in the PGA’s Awards for his work as a producer in Andor.
In 2025, he starred opposite Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh in Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman and was nominated for a Golden Globe® Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Hulu’s La Máquina (2024), which he also produced and starred in alongside Gael García Bernal.
Earlier credits include the Netflix series Narcos: México (2018), which earned him a Critics’ Choice Award nomination, Star Wars: Rogue One (2016), a role that introduced him to an even wider English-speaking audience, and Bread & Circus (2020), which won two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program and Best Entertainment Program in Spanish.
As a director, Luna made his debut with the documentary J.C. Chávez (2007). His first narrative feature, Abel (2010), earned the Horizontes Latinos Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and a Mexican Academy Award for Best Screenplay, which he co-wrote. He later directed Mr. Pig (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
He recently stared in Netflix’s México 86 on which he also serves as executive producer and will next appear in the thriller Eleven Days and Disney’s live-action adaption of Tangled.
