Actor Mads Mikkelsen guest of this year's Sarajevo Film Festival

(Patria) - Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is a guest of this year's, 28th Sarajevo Film Festival. The film "The Hunt" in which Mikkelsen plays the main role will be screened at the festival on August 14th at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema.

Before the film screening, Mikkelsen will be presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for his outstanding contribution to the art of filmmaking.

The Danish actor received this award at the 26th Sarajevo Film Festival (2020), which he could not attend due to circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mads Mikkelsen was born in 1965 in Denmark, where he received his education at the Aarhus Theatre School. The actor, originally from Copenhagen, began his professional career as a gymnast and dancer, consistently working on theatre, television, and film projects, eventually becoming the biggest male star in Denmark and Scandinavia.

His film debut was the leading role in the successful international crime drama "Pusher" from 1996, the first part of a trilogy directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. He reprised the same role of a ruthless dealer and drug addict in the eagerly awaited sequel "Bleeder" (Kærlighed på film). For this role, he won the Robert Award for Best Actor from the Danish Film Academy and the Bodil Award for Best Actor from the Danish Film Critics Association.

In 2006, Mikkelsen played the main villain named Le Chiffre in the James Bond film "Casino Royale." The film received positive reviews and grossed over $594 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing James Bond film at the time. In the same year, Mikkelsen played the lead role in the Oscar-nominated film "After the Wedding," directed by Oscar winner Susanne Bier. In 2009, he reunited with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn in the film "Valhalla Rising." The film premiered at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. In 2010, he appeared as Draco in the fantastic 3D adventure "Clash of the Titans." The film was directed by Louis Leterrier, and distributed by Warner Brothers. In 2011, Mikkelsen played the role of Rochefort in the 3D adaptation of "The Three Musketeers," directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. In the film "A Royal Affair," he played the role of Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German doctor who gained the trust of the mentally ill King Christian VII, and subsequently had an affair with his wife, Queen Caroline Mathilde.

This historical film, written and directed by Nikolaj Arcel, premiered in the competition program of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 and at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. At the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, Mikkelsen won the award for Best Actor for his role in Thomas Vinterberg's film "The Hunt." In this film, Mikkelsen plays a kindergarten teacher in a small Danish village who is falsely accused of child abuse. After its premiere in Cannes, the film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival the same year, and has been distributed by Magnolia Pictures since the spring of 2013.

Mikkelsen also appeared in the film "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman" as Nigel, a violent crime boss. Directed by Fredrik Bond, the film premiered in January 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival and was also screened in the competition program at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013.

Mads Mikkelsen is particularly known for his role in the series "Hannibal" (2013-2015), created for NBC by Bryan Fuller. In the series, he plays the successful psychologist and psychopathic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, based on the character from Thomas Harris's novels. For his work, he received special recognition when he was appointed a member of the prestigious jury at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, he also appeared in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and Marvel's film "Doctor Strange." In 2017, he filmed the thriller "Arctic," in which he plays the lead role. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018. Mikkelsen played the leading role in the comic book adaptation "Polar," directed by Jonas Åkerlund, released on Netflix in 2019.

More recently, Mads Mikkelsen starred in Thomas Vinterberg's film "Another Round," which won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2021.

The Sarajevo Film Festival will be held from August 12th to 19th, 2022.