Mexican director, producer, and screenwriter Alejandro Iñárritu will be given the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award in recognition for his exceptional contribution to the film industry at the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival. Iñárritu is one of the most acclaimed and well-regarded filmmakers working today, known for telling poignant and international stories about the human condition. He is the winner of two consecutive Best Director Oscar awards for his films The Revenant and Birdman. "It gives us a great pleasure to honour this distinguished auteur who keeps pushing the limits by transforming his unique artistic vision into unpredictable and outstanding movies," said Sarajevo Film Festival director Mirsad Purivatra. "His films are characterised by a distinctive style and pace; they captivate and thrill audiences and film critics around the world," added Purivatra, adding that the festival is happy that "we'll have a chance to welcome him at the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival and present him with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award for his immense contribution to the art of film with timeless, award-winning classics that he has been making throughout his career." Iñárritu made his feature directorial debut at the Cannes Semaine de la Critique in 2000 and was nominated for a Foreign Film Academy Award with Amores Perros. His following credits include 21 Grams; Babel, which garnered seven Oscar nominations and won the Best Director Award at the 2006 Festival de Cannes; and Biutiful, presented in Competition in 2010 at Cannes. He became the first Mexican filmmaker to be nominated for either director or producer in the history of the Academy Awards and the first Mexican filmmaker to receive a Best Picture award at Cannes. Iñárritu took home the prize for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards for Birdman. The following year, Iñárritu won his second consecutive Academy Award for Best Director for The Revenant. Additionally, Iñárritu created the VR installation Virtually Present, Physically Invisible, which previewed at the 2017 Festival de Cannes as the first VR project ever included in the Official Selection, and garnered Iñárritu his fifth Academy Award, a special Oscar presented to him by the Board of Governors. Most recently, the Academy Award-winning director, writer, and producer became the first Latin-American filmmaker to head the Cannes' jury in 2019. During the 25th Sarajevo Film Festival, Iñárritu will hold a Masterclass, and the Festival will organise a special screening of some of his film.
