Angelina Jolie’s Award at Sarajevo Film Festival

Added by Monique Robinson on August 1, 2011

Angelina Jolie was tearful when she was honored with the Heart of Sarajevo Award on Saturday in Bosnia’s Sarajevo Film Festival for her directorial debut – In the Land of Blood And Honey – that highlights the plight of the refugees in Bosnia’s 1992 to 1995 war.

“I told Brad in the car I was afraid I would cry. I am really trying not to” she said as the audience gave her a standing ovation she received. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is Jolie’s boyfriend and accompanied her to the Festival.

“There is no greater example of the strengths of the artists and the festival that begun during the war and grew stronger every year”, said Jolie.

For the best film/festival’s best actor she also presented an award to Thomas Schubert that starred in Atman while Romanian Lady Ada Condeescu scoops the best actress award in Loverboy.

The film In the Land of Blood And Honey, expected to be released in December, was shot in locations including Budapest and Sarajevo; Jolie praised Sarajevo’s warmth and hospitality.

The film tells a love affair story that is between a Serb and a Bosnian Muslim woman who are on opposing sides during the war. The movie features a local cast that includes Rade Serbedzija, Goran Kostic, and Zana Marjanivic. A controversy involving an ultimately false rumor almost caused the cancellation of production. The rumor resulted in protests by The Association of Women Victims of War – a powerful lobby group – which lead to the revocation of the film’s permit. The permit was ultimately reinstated after the rumors were found to be false.

“There are many twists in the plot that address the sensitive nature of the relationship between the main characters and that will be revealed once the film is released,” Angelina Jolie added.

Jolie visited Bosnia a number of times during the past year as a goodwill ambassador for United Nation’s Refugee Agency.