Emily Watson, President of the Jury of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival and recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo

British actress Emily Watson will be the president of the jury of the Competition Program - Feature Film at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, and during the festival she will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for her exceptional contribution to the art of film.

The 32st Sarajevo Film Festival will be held from August 14 to 21, 2026.

Festival director Jovan Marjanović He stated that the festival is delighted to welcome the actress back to Sarajevo, twenty years after her last visit.

"Twenty years after her last visit to Sarajevo, we are truly delighted to welcome Emily Watson back to the Festival – this time as the recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo and as the president of the jury. The actress, whose talent, sensibility and dedication to her acting profession have left a deep mark on contemporary cinematography, has won over audiences and critics with her powerful, emotional and authentic interpretations. I believe that the filmmakers from this year's program will be as excited as we are about the fact that she will be watching their films in Sarajevo," said Marjanović.

Emily Watson has been nominated for an Oscar twice, and in 2015 she was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contribution to the dramatic arts.

Audiences were recently able to see her in the role of Mary Shakespeare in the film adaptation of the award-winning novel "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell, directed by Chloe SorryThe film won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Film, as well as the Audience Award at the TIFF and BFI London Film Festivals.

Among her most famous film works are "Through the Waves" Lars von Trier, "God's Creatures", "These Little Things", for which she was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Actress at the Berlinale, Netflix's drama "Steve", the fantasy film "The Legend of the Eyes", "King Lear", "On Chesil Beach", "Hilary and Jackie", "Gosford Park", "Drunk with Love", "Red Dragon", "The Road to War", "The Book Thief", "Testimony of Youth", "Everest", "The Theory of Everything", "Anna Karenina" and numerous other films.

On television, she has had notable roles in the series "Chernobyl", "Wardrobe", "Too Close", "The Third Day", "Little Women" and "Genius", while her theatre career includes numerous productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Throughout her career, she has won numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for the film "The Mediator", the Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, and the prestigious Richard Harris Award at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Her breakthrough role in the film "Breaking the Waves" earned her the European Film Award for Best Actress, a number of accolades from film critics, and nominations for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award.