Dafoe on Sarajevo after 25 years: Now it's a different city, I compare experiences

(Patria) - American actor Willem Dafoe (70) held a masterclass at the Bosnian Cultural Center as part of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival. This is his return to Sarajevo after 25 years.

"I came to Sarajevo shortly after the war. Now it's a different Sarajevo. It's been a long time. Now I compare those experiences," said Dafoe.

He shared his experiences when he started acting, and for his first engagement, he was paid 10 dollars.

"I never remember how much I was paid, I only remember the experience of filming".

Dafoe will be presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo tonight at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema at Metalac for his outstanding contribution to the film industry. The film "The Birthday Party" by Miguel Ángel Jiménez, in which Dafoe stars, will be shown at 8:30 PM as part of the Open Air program.

"The Birthday Party" tells the story of Markos Timoleon, a Greek tycoon who organizes his daughter's 25th birthday celebration on his private island. There, he will face an unpredictable series of events that will threaten his dominance and even his existence.

Based on Panos Karnezis' acclaimed novel, "The Birthday Party" is a drama set in the world of high society in the seventies, at the intersection of The Great Gatsby and Vinterberg's "The Celebration", where glamorous parties meet Greek tragedy. In addition to Dafoe, the cast also includes Vic Carmen Sonne, Emma Suárez, Joe Cole, and Carlos Cuevas.

He began his career back in 1980, when he filmed "Heaven's Gate". He is appreciated for his ability to play a range of characters, in both mainstream and arthouse films.

He was nominated for an Oscar for his roles in the films "Platoon", "Shadow of the Vampire", "The Florida Project", and "At Eternity's Gate". Some of his cinematic works also include: "Wild at Heart", "American Psycho", "Antichrist", "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "Poor Things", "Nosferatu", and others.

He is one of the founders of the experimental theater group The Wooster Group. In 2018, at the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, he received the Golden Bear for outstanding contribution to cinema.