Emir Kusturica, a renowned Serbian film director, was born in 1954 in the vibrant city of Sarajevo. His passion for filmmaking led him to enroll in the prestigious Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague, where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in film directing.
During his studies, Kusturica's exceptional talent was recognized with numerous awards for his short films, including the acclaimed "Guernica" (1978),which took first prize at the Student's Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
After completing his education, Kusturica returned to his hometown of Sarajevo, where he directed several TV movies. His collaboration with screenwriter Abdulah Sidran in 1981 resulted in the successful feature debut "Do You Remember Dolly Bell?" (1981),which won the Silver Lion for best first feature at the Venice Film Festival.
Kusturica's subsequent work with Sidran, the human political drama "When Father Was Away on Business" (1985),received widespread critical acclaim, winning top prize at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the FIPRESCI prize and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language film.
In 1989, Kusturica's direction of "Time of the Gypsies" (1988),a film about the life of a gypsy family in Yugoslavia, earned him the Best Director award at Cannes, scripted by Gordan Mihic.
Kusturica's first English-language film, "Arizona Dream" (1993),starring Johnny Depp, Jerry Lewis, and Faye Dunaway, and scripted by his USA student, David Atkins, was awarded the Silver Bear at the 1993 Berlin Film Festival.
His critically acclaimed film "Underground" (1995),a bittersweet surrealistic comedy about the Balkans, scripted by Dusan Kovacevic, won Kusturica his second Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995, solidifying his reputation as a master filmmaker.
