Star arrives in the capital of BiH: Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for Robert De Niro

Prominent actor, director and producer Robert De Niro, a two-time Oscar winner, five-time Oscar nominee, Golden Globe award winner, is the recipient of the first Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for his lifetime achievement for outstanding contribution to the art of filmmaking. The highest award of the Sarajevo Film Festival will be presented to Robert De Niro at the opening ceremony of the 22nd edition of the Festival, which will be held this year from August 12 to 20, the SFF announced, reports Patria News Agency.

- It is a great honor to have Robert De Niro as the first recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo for lifetime achievement - said Mirsad Purivatra, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival. From the moment of our first meeting, about ten years ago at the Tribeca Film Festival, we started working towards him coming to Sarajevo one day. That day has come, and we are very excited about it. As a film professional and a great film enthusiast, I believe I am speaking not only for myself but also on behalf of the audience and my colleagues.

De Niro will present the film that will open this year's Sarajevo Film Festival to the Sarajevo audience. It is Martin Scorsese's cult masterpiece "Taxi Driver", which has been restored in honor of its 40th anniversary. The film will be screened simultaneously at the National Theatre and the Open Air Cinema, where Robert De Niro will be presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in front of 3,000 film enthusiasts.

"Taxi Driver" has been rated by critics, filmmakers, and audiences as one of the most significant films of all time. The film was nominated for an Oscar in four categories, including Best Picture and Best Actor (De Niro), won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976, and two Golden Globes.

Along with "Taxi Driver," De Niro and Scorsese have made eight films together: "Mean Streets" (1973), "New York, New York" (1977), "Raging Bull" (1980), "The King of Comedy" (1983), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Cape Fear" (1991), and "Casino" (1995).

The acclaimed actor will speak in Sarajevo, for the festival audience and media representatives, about his career in a conversation that will be held at the National Theatre, moderated by Mike Goodridge, former editor of the prestigious Screen International magazine and current CEO of the London-based company Protagonist Pictures. Goodridge is one of the selectors of the Kinoscope program of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

De Niro's latest projects, which are in post-production, are Taylor Hackford's "The Comedian" and HBO's "Wizard of Lies," in which he plays Bernie Madoff and serves as executive producer. The next project in which we will see him is "Hands of Stone" by The Weinstein Company and "Bus 657" by Grindhouse Entertainment.

Previous recipients of the Heart of Sarajevo award at the Sarajevo Film Festival include, among others, Angelina Jolie, Benicio Del Toro, Gael Garcia Bernal, Steve Buscemi, and acclaimed and internationally recognized and awarded directors Atom Egoyan, Jafar Panahi, Mike Leigh, Béla Tarr, and Danis Tanović.

The Heart of Sarajevo award was designed by French designer and director Agnès B, who is also a patron of the Festival.