Mexican actor, director and producer Diego Luna will be featured in the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival, which will be held from August 14th to 21st.
Luna will be awarded the Sarajevo Honorary Heart Medal in recognition of his “outstanding career and indelible contribution to cinema.”
The festival will screen his latest directorial film Ashes, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and Luna will also give a masterclass.
“A quarter of a century ago, Diego Luna captured our hearts with his unforgettable performance in ‘I Tu Mama También,'” said Jovan Marianovic, director of the festival. We expected to witness the emergence of an artist who is always exploring and surprising, moving seamlessly into intimate human stories.Diego Luna has left a deep mark on contemporary cinema through his outstanding body of work, and we are honored to present him with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo.”
Luna replied, “It’s been many years since I wanted to go to Sarajevo. Many of my colleagues have spoken beautifully about the festival and their personal experiences there. I’m honored that my work has been recognized and I’m so excited to share ‘Ashes’ with the audience.”
Luna first gained international attention for his performance in Alfonso Cuaron’s Y tu mamá también (2001), a role that established him as one of Mexico’s leading actors. This led to collaborations with directors such as Steven Spielberg, David Trueba, Gus Van Sant, Harmony Korine, and Agustin Díaz Yanez.
Most recently, he starred in and executive produced the Disney+ series “Andor” (2022), which earned him two Golden Globe nominations and two Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Actor for his work in both seasons. The series earned eight Emmy Award nominations for the first season and 14 for the second season in 2025, including Outstanding Drama Series.
In 2025, he starred opposite Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiu in Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider-Woman, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Hulu’s La Machina (2024). In this film, he co-produced and starred alongside Gael García Bernal.
His previous work includes the Critics Choice Award-nominated Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico” (2018), “Star Wars: Rogue One” (2016), which introduced him to a broader English-speaking audience, and “Bread & Circuses” (2020), which won him two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Daytime Talent in Spanish and Best Entertainment in Spanish.
Luna made his directorial debut with the documentary “JC Chavez” (2007). His first narrative feature, Abel (2010), won the Orizontes Latino Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, and he also co-wrote the screenplay with the Mexican Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He then directed Mr. Pig (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
He recently starred in Netflix’s México 86, on which he also served as an executive producer, and will next be seen in the thriller Eleven Days and Disney’s live-action version of Rapunzel.
