Angelina Jolie was close to tears as she received a special award during an unannounced visit to the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival in Bosnia on Saturday, July 30 with partner Brad Pitt.
The audience gave her a standing ovation; she said, "I will start crying if you don't stop." Apparently she had tears in her eyes as she waited for the clapping to die down, and her voice broke when she said, "I told Brad in the car I was afraid I was going to cry."
Festival director Mirsad Purivatra presented Jolie with a heart-shaped award when she appeared at the closing ceremony.
"Tonight we are giving the honorary Heart of Sarajevo to a great artist, not only for the great impact she has in the world of cinema but also for persisting and her active engagement in the complexities of the real world we live in," Purivatra said.
She has also visited Bosnia as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N.'s refugee agency UNHCR and funded the construction of several houses for returnees in eastern Bosnia.
Her film about Bosnia, In The Land Of Blood And Honey, is an upcoming film marking the directorial debut of actress Angelina Jolie. It is a love story set during the Bosnian War. The film was shot in October 2010 using local actors. It was also shot in two versions - one in English, the other in the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian language known as BCS. The film is due for release in the United States on December 23, 2011
Jolie, dressed in a long peach dress, stood on stage with eyes full of tears waiting for the clapping to die down.
" Jolie's film tells the story of a love affair between a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) woman and a Serb, who were on opposite warring sides during the conflict.
She planned to shoot parts of the film in Sarajevo and engaged a local crew. But she had to move to Budapest after some female victims of sexual violence objected to details in the plot and Bosnian authorities canceled a filming permit.
"I am so honored to be here at this festival," Jolie said after receiving the award. "There is no greater example of the strengths of the artists and the festival that began during the war and grew stronger every year."
The Sarajevo film festival was launched toward the end of the Bosnian capital's 43-month siege by Bosnian Serb forces.
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