Meg Ryan is not just America’s sweetheart anymore — now she’s an international “heart” icon.
The writer/director/actress is being feted with the Heart Award at the 2024 Sarajevo Film Festival, where her classic rom-com “You’ve Got Mail” screened 25 years ago in 1999.
This year, Ryan will present a special screening of the 1998 hit film and also host a masterclass about writing and directing her sophomore 2023 film “What Happens Later,” which will additionally be screened at the Festival. The masterclass will be moderated by “No Man’s Land” director Danis Tanović.
Ryan made her directorial debut with 2015’s WWII drama “Ithaca,” which marked a reunion for Ryan and frequent collaborator Tom Hanks.
“Meg Ryan had our hearts at hello! Not only has she charmed us all with her unforgettable performances, but she has also proven her prowess behind the camera as a director and screenwriter. It is our honor to present her with the Heart of Sarajevo,” Jovan Marjanović, the director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, said in an official press statement.
The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 16 to 23.
The Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award was established in 2005 with the aim to give a recognition to individuals for their outstanding contribution to the affirmation and development of the film industry and the support and development of the Sarajevo Film Festival. Past recipients of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award include Paul Schrader, Robert De Niro, Ruben Östlund, Wim Wenders, Isabelle Huppert, Mads Mikkelsen, Jesse Eisenberg, Benicio Del Toro, and Steve Buscemi.
Charlie Kaufman, Mark Cousins, and Lynne Ramsay were presented with the shared honor in 2023.
The 2024 recipient Ryan is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Sally Albright in “When Harry Met Sally,” which was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. Ryan continued to collaborate with Ephron in “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail.” Ryan earned Golden Globe nominations for each of her Ephron films.
She also went on to star in Ed Zwick’s “Courage Under Fire” and Luis Mandoki’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” among other titles. The Sundance Institute’s “Promised Land” later landed Ryan an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Ryan previously explained that directing “takes so much of you” but she always aspired to helm a film. “The satisfaction of directing is completely comprehensive,” Ryan said in 2015. “You feel so responsible, because you’re the emotional conduit, it’s very important the story gets felt.”
