Meg Ryan: The Sarajevo Film Festival is an example of how art can be an act of resistance

„Thank you very much. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you Sarajevo Film Festival and all of you for being here, thank you for your hearts. I am glad to be here and to be able to thank you face to face for what you have been doing for years. This is an example of how this community can be unique, not wasting their lives, but watching movies, listening to music, dancing and thus confirming that art and culture are an act of resistance. Thank you so much for resisting“, said Meg Ryan.

 

The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo was presented to Ryan by Jovan Marjanović, the director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

 

“Tonight we have gathered to celebrate an iconic figure in the world of film. A celebrated actress whose talent, charm and versatility have been delighting audiences for years. Meg Ryan's career is a shining testament to the magic of storytelling through film. Her roles in romantic classics such as 'When Harry Met Sally', Sleepless in Seattle and 'You've Got Mail' are unforgettable, as well as in dramas such as 'Courage Under Fire' and 'When a Man Loves a Woman'. Meg Rayan always gave authenticity to the characters she portrayed,” said Jovan Marjanović

 

The Hollywood star, known for her versatility and natural charm in every role she plays, greeted the audience at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema and presented a special screening of her hit romantic comedy from 1998, "You Have a Message", in the same place where this film was shown before 25 years, at the 5th Sarajevo Film Festival, 1999.

 

 

Ryan previously held a masterclass moderated by award-winning BiH director Danis Tanović, winner of the Oscar® for the film "No Man's Land". The Masterclass was a special opportunity to get an insight into key aspects of Meg Ryan's career and her new film "What Happens Later", which will also be shown at the Festival. Bleecker Street Media's romantic comedy „What Happens Later“, which Ryan directed, wrote and co-starred with David Duchovny, is her second directorial effort, following 2015's independent film Ithaca.

 

Meg Ryan’s comedic appeal was widely recognized in her first Golden Globe-nominated performance as Sally Albright in „When Harry Met Sally“, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. She went on to star in Nora Ephron’s hit romantic comedy „Sleepless in Seattle“, opposite Tom Hanks, garnering a second Golden Globe nomination. Her latest collaboration with Ephron and Hanks was the romantic comedy „You've Got Mail“, which once again gained Ryan international recognition as she was awarded her third Golden Globe nomination for her role in the film.

 

Acclaim has also come to Ryan for her distinctive dramatic portraits, including her role opposite Denzel Washington as the first military woman nominated for a Medal of Honor in „Courage Under Fire“, directed by Ed Zwick, and her moving portrayal of a wonderful woman with a drinking problem in Luis Mandoki’s „When a Man Loves a Woman“, opposite Andy Garcia. For her performance opposite Kiefer Sutherland in the Sundance Institute’s „Promised Land“, she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination.