Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, twice an Academy Award winner, will be honoured with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, running from 14 to 21 August 2026. The award recognises his "outstanding contribution to the art of cinema", and a retrospective of his films will be shown as part of the festival's "Tribute To" programme. Festival director Jovan Marjanović praised Farhadi's ability to reveal profound drama within everyday life, noting his films invite audiences to look closer rather than offering easy answers.

Farhadi, who began making short films as a teenager in Esfahan before studying dramatic arts and stage direction in Tehran, won Oscars for "A Separation" (2011) and "The Salesman" (2016), the former also earning around 70 international awards. He has strong ties to Sarajevo, having chaired its feature film jury in 2018 and screened "Everybody Knows" there. Other career highlights include a Silver Bear for "About Elly" (2009), Cannes prizes for "The Past" (2013) and "A Hero" (2021), and his latest film, "Parallel Tales", which premiered at Cannes in 2026.