Woody Harrelson will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, in recognition of what organisers called his "outstanding contribution to the film industry and an exceptional acting career." The tribute matters because it places Harrelson alongside a select group of actors honoured by the festival, and ties into a wider programme marking the war-era history central to Sarajevo's identity as a film event, with the closing gala reviving Bosnian director Danis Tanović's Oscar-winning "No Man's Land" 25 years after its Cannes premiere.

To mark Harrelson's award, the festival will screen Michael Winterbottom's 1997 film "Welcome to Sarajevo," in which he stars alongside Stephen Dillane and Marisa Tomei; the film, based on journalist Michael Nicholson's book "Natasha's Story," examines the Bosnian war and journalists' coverage of it. Festival director Jovan Marjanović praised Harrelson's "remarkable ease of performance," pointing to his Oscar nominations for "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "The Messenger" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," plus his role in Ruben Östlund's Palme d'Or winner "Triangle of Sadness." Bosnian actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, and Harrelson's upcoming work includes Apple TV's "Brothers" with Matthew McConaughey and Quentin Dupieux's "Full Phil" with Kristen Stewart. The festival runs from 14 to 21 August.