Emir Hadžihafizbegović (; born 20 August 1961) is a Bosnian actor. Often regarded as one of the best actors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has appeared in over fifty films, including '' When Father Was Away on Business'' (1985), ''

Remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

'' (2003), '' Fuse'' (2003), '' Days and Hours'' (2004), '' The Border Post'' (2006), '' Grbavica'' (2006), ''

Armin Armin is a male given name and surname of Indo-European languages, Indo-European origin. In the Balkans, Armin is popular among Bosniaks in the former Yugoslavia, Yugoslav nations. The name is a modification of Amin (name), Amin, following a pat ...

'' (2007), '' Vegetarian Cannibal'' (2012) and ''

Quo Vadis, Aida? ''Quo Vadis, Aida?'' ( ''Where are you going, Aida?'') is a 2020 internationally co-produced war drama film written, produced and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. An international co-production of twelve production companies, the film was shown in ...

'' (2020). For his role as struggling husband and father Ivo in the drama film '' These Are the Rules'' (2014), Hadžihafizbegović was awarded the Best Actor or Actress Award at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. He was also nominated for a

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films i ...

at the

65th Berlin International Film Festival The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the president of the jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The ...

for the same role.

Early life and education

Hadžihafizbegović was born on 20 August 1961 in the city

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, while it was a part of

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. His parents were Mustafa (born 1929) and Nizama. He has an older brother named Irfan. Originally an aspiring sports reporter, Hadžihafizbegović moved to

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

and entered the Academy of Performing Arts in 1982, receiving his diploma in 1986.

Acting career

Hadžihafizbegović made his film debut as Fahro Zulfikarpašić in the film '' When Father Was Away on Business'' (1985), written by Abdulah Sidran and directed by

Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...

. He appeared in two television films and a guest role on a Yugoslav television series before landing the role of a bartender from

Bosansko Grahovo Bosansko Grahovo ( sr-cyr, Босанско Грахово) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Bosansko Grahovo in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in western ...

in the 1987 film '' Hajde da se volimo 2'' with Bosnian pop star Lepa Brena, as well popular Yugoslav actors

Bata Živojinović Velimir "Bata" Živojinović ( sr-Cyrl, Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић; 5 June 1933 – 22 May 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than 340 films and TV series, and is regarded as one of ...

and Dragomir Bojanić. Hadžihafizbegović revisited his role in '' Hajde da se volimo 3'' (1990). His career went on hiatus in 1992 due to the

breakup of Yugoslavia After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, the constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia split apart in the early 1990s. Unresolved issues from the breakup caused a series of inter-ethnic Yugoslav ...

and the breakout of

war in Bosnia and Herzegovina The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incidents, the war is commonly seen as ha ...

. Hadžihafizbegović reappeared in Bosnian cinema in the 2003 war film ''

'', by screenwriter

Zlatko Topčić Zlatko Topčić (born 30 April 1955) is a Bosnian screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He has written a number of films, including: ''Remake (2003 film), Remake'', ''The Abandoned (2010 film), The Abandoned'', ''Miracle in Bosnia''; theater p ...

. Since that film, Hadžihafizbegović has appeared in 40 more films, mostly as a lead role and in some sitcoms as well, most notably '' Lud, zbunjen, normalan'' and '' Konak kod Hilmije.''

Political career

Hadžihafizbegović has been part of the

Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action (; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, as a "party of Muslim cultural ...

(SDA) since its foundation. From 2007 to 2011, he held the position of Minister of Culture and Sports of

Sarajevo Canton The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton of Sarajevo (; ; ), is one of the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its cantonal seat is the city of Sarajevo, also the capital city of Bosnia and Herzeg ...

. Hadžihafizbegović was part of the SDA presidency from 2019 until 2023.

Controversies

Fatal car accident

Hadžihafizbegović was involved in a fatal car accident on the night of 12 October 2014 in the village Bročice near

Novska Novska is a town in the Sisak-Moslavina County of Croatia. It is located in western part of the historic region of Slavonia, between Kutina and Nova Gradiška, linear distance southeast of the capital, Zagreb. Climate Since records began in 198 ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, when he accidentally hit the driver and one of the two passengers of another car who were standing on the left side of the highway repairing a flat tire. One of the people he hit was 63-year-old Ankica Kuduz, mother of Croatian model Lana Kuduz, who died soon after of her injuries in a

Nova Gradiška Nova Gradiška is a town located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,229 (2011). It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first word in the name means ''New'', and there' ...

hospital. The driver and Hadžihafizbegović were also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. On 11 March 2016, Hadžihafizbegović admitted guilt and was put on probation for four years and sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Municipal Criminal Court in

Sisak Sisak (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavina (Sava basin ...

, which would be suspended if he does not commit another criminal offense by 2020. Expert witness testimony at the trial also established that the actor had exceeded the speed limit the night of the accident and had attempted to drive around a parked car. Following the crash, Hadžihafizbegović befriended the victim's daughter, Lana.

Corruption scandal

On 28 February 2020, Hadžihafizbegović found himself in the middle of a corruption scandal. On 3 March 2020, the

, of which he is a member, announced that Hadžihafizbegović would not be the new Minister of Culture and Sports of

because of the scandal.

Conflicts with journalists

On 19 January 2018, Hadžihafizbegović insulted and then kicked a journalist out of his office. On 5 March 2020, the video of Hadžihafizbegović insulting a journalist after a question about dubious allocation of funds of the Foundation for Cinematography of which he is a board member was posted on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Fake lordship title

On 31 January 2020, Hadžihafizbegović announced that he had received a

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

title. Considering that he could not theoretically receive that title, it was revealed that he had purchased it online for $49.

Personal life

Hadžihafizbegović's wife is Aida. Together they have two children: a son Edin (born 1990) and a daughter Amra (born 1994). In 2013, he received Croatian citizenship.

Filmography

Feature films

, width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Ada'' (1985) *'' When Father Was Away on Business'' (1985) *''Ovni in mamuti'' (1985) *''Život radnika'' (1987) *'' Hajde da se volimo 2'' (1989) *''Stanica običnih vozova'' (1990) *'' Hajde da se volimo 3'' (1990) *''Prokleta je Amerika'' (1992) *''

'' (2003) *'' Fuse'' (2003) *''

Summer in the Golden Valley ''Summer in the Golden Valley'' ( Bosnian: ''Ljeto u zlatnoj dolini'') is a 2003 Bosnian film by Srđan Vuletić, produced by Ademir Kenović. The movie is about a 16-year-old boy who has to repay his dead father's debt. In order to collect money ...

'' (2003) *'' Days and Hours'' (2004) *''

First Class Thieves ''First Class Thieves'' () is a Croatian comedy film directed by Fadil Hadžić. It was released in 2005. Cast * Goran Grgić - Dramski Prvak * Emir Hadžihafizbegović - Producent * Mladen Vulić - Pacino * Franjo Dijak - Glumac * Boro Stjep ...

'' (2005) *''Well Tempered Corpses'' (2005) *'' Grbavica'' (2006) *'' The Border Post'' (2006) *'' The Melon Route'' (2006) *''

All for Free ''All for Free'' () is a 2006 Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian film directed by Antonio Nuić. The film premiered at the 2006 Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival () is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amp ...

'' (2006) *''

'' (2007) *''

It's Hard to be Nice ''It's Hard to be Nice'' (Original title in Bosnian: ''Teško je biti fin'') is a 2007 Bosnian film by Srđan Vuletić. The movie is about a man who lives in a challenging, post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina where many are forced to create their o ...

'' (2007) *''

Snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

'' (2008) *'' The Tour'' (2008) *''

Metastases Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...

'' (2009) *''

Buick Riviera The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car that was marketed by Buick from 1963 to 1999, with the exception of the 1994 model year. As General Motors' first entry into the personal luxury car market segment, the Riviera was highly praised by au ...

'' (2009) *'' The Blacks'' (2009) , width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''

Donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

'' (2009) *''Neke druge priče'' (2010) *''Stanje šoka'' (2011) *'' Vegetarian Cannibal'' (2012) *'' Death of a Man in the Balkans'' (2012) *''Šanghaj'' (2012) *''Led'' (2012) *''

Circles A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any point of the circle and the centre is called the radius. The length of a line segment connecting t ...

'' (2013) *'' Falsifier'' (2013) *''Odumiranje'' (2013) *''Čefurji raus!'' (2013) *''Children of the Sun'' (2013) *''Quiet People'' (2014) *'' The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street'' (2014) *'' These Are the Rules'' (2014) *''Žaba'' (2015) *''Smrdljiva bajka'' (2015) *'' Our Everyday Life'' (2015) *'' Men Don't Cry'' (2017) *''The Frog'' (2017) *'' The Son'' (2019) *''

'' (2020) *''Koncentriši se, baba'' (2020) *''Praznik rada'' (2022) *'' Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day'' (2024) *'' The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep'' (2025)

Television films

, width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Veliki talenat'' (1984) *''Audicija'' (1985) *''Ćao, ćao, bambina!'' (1988) , width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Nepitani'' (1999) *''Borac'' (2001)

Television series

, width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Vrijeme prošlo'' (1986) *''Specijalna redakcija'' (1989–1990) *'' Obećana zemlja'' (2002) *''

Viza za budućnost ''Viza za budućnost'' () was the first post-independence Bosnian TV series. Production started on June 22, 2002, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first episode was aired on September 22, 2002. The final episode was broadcast on April 17 ...

'' (2003–2004) *''Crna hronika'' (2004) *''

Bitange i princeze ''Bitange i princeze'' () is a Croatian sitcom television series. Produced by Interflim for HRT, the series aired from 15 April 2005 to 8 March 2010 on HRT 1 and HRT 2. It was created and directed by Goran Kulenović. Set in Zagreb and loosely ...

'' (2005) *''Večernja škola: Povratak upisanih'' (2005) *'' Naša mala klinika'' (2006, 2011) *'' Tata i zetovi'' (2006–2007) , width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Odmori se, zaslužio si'' (2007) *'' Lud, zbunjen, normalan'' (2007–2021) *''Luda kuća'' (2010) *''Turneja'' (2011) *''Dva smo svijeta različita'' (2011) *''Ne diraj mi mamu'' (2018) *'' Konak kod Hilmije'' (2018–2019) *''Na rubu pameti'' (2022–2023)

Short films

, width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''42 ½'' (2003) *''Prva plata'' (2005) , width="50%" align="left" valign="top" style="border:0", *''Ram za sliku moje domovine'' (2005; documentary short) *''Vidimo se u Sarajevu'' (2008)

Achievements

Hadžihafizbegović received the Golden Arena for Best Actor at the

Pula Film Festival Pula Film Festival () is an annual Croatian film festival, established in 1954. It is held in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula Arena. Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival and is usually held in the summer, in July or Aug ...

and Best Actor Award at the

Durban International Film Festival The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It was founded in 1979 by Teddy Sarkin and Ros Sarkin. Presented by Centre for Creative Arts at the Univ ...

. On the final day of the 71st Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2014, he was awarded the Venice Horizons Award for Best Actor or Actress in the film '' These Are the Rules''., La Biennale di Venezia

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadzihafizbegovic, Emir 1961 births Living people Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Actors from Tuzla 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male actors Golden Arena winners Naturalized citizens of Croatia 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male actors Bosnia and Herzegovina male film actors Bosnia and Herzegovina male television actors Bosnia and Herzegovina male stage actors Bosnia and Herzegovina male voice actors Bosniaks of Croatia