The acclaimed Italian author Paolo Sorrentino was awarded the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema in in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema.
„I am very honored. This is real pleasure. If this is an award for a career, I hope to come here again, twenty years later, to get an another award. For sure I will come very soon, in order to open a good Italian restaurant here in Sarajevo. Thank you very much, this is a real honor. This is an important award but mostly this is an important Festival for the European people“, said Paolo Sorrentino.
The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was presented to Sorrentino by the Jovan Marjanović, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.
“Tonight is a special night, because we will be watching a European film classic. It is also a special pleasure to present one of the most recognizable voices in contemporary cinema, Mr. Paolo Sorrentino. In the last two decades, he has given us exceptional films. His works capture life’s contradictions, beauty and decadence, fragility, irony and emotion, with an unmistakable style and a voice that is both personal and universal. The film THE GREAT BEAUTY, which we will watch, is one of his most famous works and defines the cinematic portrait of his time”, said Jovan Marjanović.
After the presentation of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, Sorrentino’s film THE GREAT BEAUTY was screened at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema. As part of the programme Tribute to at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, a complete retrospective of Sorrentino’s films will be screend. On Sunday, Sorrentino held a Masterclass at the Bosnian Cultural Center (BKC) and shared his thoughts on contemporary art in a conversation with the audience
Paolo Sorrentino, film director and screenwriter, was born in Naples in 1970. His first full-length feature film, “One Man Up”, dates back to 2001 and was selected for the Venice Film Festival.
His next two films, “The Consequences of Love” from 2004 and “The Family Friend” from 2006, were in competition for the Palme d’Or in Cannes, as well as the film “Il Divo”, which won the Jury Prize in 2008. He returned in competition at the Cannes Festival in 2011 with the film “This Must be the Place”, and two years later with “The Great Beauty”, which won the Academy Award®, the Golden Globe and the BAFTA Award for the best Foreign Language Film, as well as three EFA Awards.
He was selected once again in competition at Cannes in 2016 with “Youth”, garnering three EFA Awards, an Academy Award® nomination and two Golden Globe nominations.
In 2016 he created and directed the TV series “The Young Pope”, nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Actor and at the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Production Design and Outstanding Cinematography. In 2018 he directed the movie “Loro” starring Toni Servillo and in 2019 Sorrentino directed the second series set in the world of modern papacy, “The New Pope”, starring Jude Law and John Malkovich.
In 2021 he wrote and directed the “The Hand of God”, nominated at the 2022 Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film, winner of the Leone d’Argento Grand Jury Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 78th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, also winner of 5 David di Donatello 2022 including Best Film and Best Director and 4 Nastri d’argento 2022 including Best Film.
In 2024 he wrote and directed “Parthenope”, presented in competition at Cannes and winner of the Biglietto D’oro among the most viewed films of the year.
