Emir Kusturica

Emir Kusturica is a celebrated Serbian film director known for his distinctive style and international accolades. After his student short film ‘Guernica’ earned first prize at the Student’s Film Festival in Karlovy Vary in 1978, Emir Kusturica, a highly regarded film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, and musician, went on to graduate from the prestigious Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague the same year. He achieved international recognition with his 1981 feature debut, ‘Do You Remember Dolly Bell?’, securing the Silver Lion for best first feature at the Venice Film Festival. Kusturica’s subsequent human political drama, ‘When Father Was Away on Business’ (1985), garnered significant acclaim, winning the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside the FIPRESCI prize, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

His leadership was recognized in 2005 when he served as President of the Jury of the Cannes Film Festival. Kusturica’s literary contributions include his autobiography ‘Death Is an Unverified Rumour,’ published in 2010, the novel ‘Hundred Pains’ (2013), his diary ‘Why Did I Need This’ (2018), and further books, ‘Vidiš li da ne vidim’ (2022) and ‘Kada mrtve duše marširaju’ (2023). His distinguished career has been honored with numerous accolades, including being invested with the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 2011 and awarded the Order of St. Sava, First Class, in 2012.