Oscar®-winning director Paweł Pawlikowski’s new film, Fatherland (2026), will open the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival. Pawlikowski will personally welcome audiences at the gala screening on 14 August 2026.

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Fatherland (2026) had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where Pawlikowski received the Best Director Award. The film completes the director’s Cold War trilogy.

The story centres on Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika Mann. Hanns Zischler portrays Thomas Mann, while Sandra Hüller plays Erika, an actress, writer and racing driver.

Set in the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, the film follows the father and daughter as they embark on an emotionally challenging journey across war-ravaged Germany in a black Buick. Their route takes them from US-controlled Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.

Returning home after 16 years of exile in the United States, Thomas Mann must confront not only a divided homeland but also the deep fractures within his own family.

“The Film Suits the Sarajevo Film Festival”

Pawlikowski said the film’s engagement with history and conflict would give it particular resonance in Sarajevo. He also highlighted his decades-long relationship with the festival:

“It seems like the film suits Sarajevo Film Festival because it’s steeped in history and in conflict.”

Pawlikowski’s relationship with the Sarajevo Film Festival dates back to the screening of his documentary Serbian Epics (1992) during the festival’s early years. His feature film Cold War later opened the 24th Sarajevo Film Festival in 2018.

In 2019, Pawlikowski received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo, while a retrospective of his work was presented as part of the festival’s Tribute To programme.

Reflecting on his connection to the festival, Pawlikowski said he valued the relationships he had formed in Sarajevo with people who shared both a love of cinema and a strong sense of history. He added that he was delighted to return with the festival’s opening film.

About Paweł Pawlikowski

Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski began his career directing award-winning documentaries before moving into narrative cinema with the BAFTA-winning films Last Resort (2000) and My Summer of Love (2004).

Ida (2013) won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, becoming the first Polish production to receive the award. It also won five European Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.

Cold War (2018) premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Pawlikowski received the Best Director Award. The film later earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, and won five European Film Awards.

The 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 14 to 21 August 2026.