American movie star Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance at a film festival in Bosnia-Herzegovina Saturday where Jolie was given an honorary award for her acting and humanitarian work.

Jolie received the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award after directing a movie set in wartime Bosnia, called “The Land of Blood and Honey.” The movie is a love story between a Muslim woman and a Serb during the Balkan conflict of the early 1990s. Jolie's directorial debut is due for release later this year.

The Hollywood star was given a standing ovation when she appeared at the stage of the National Theater in Sarajevo to accept the award.

She said she was honored to be there.

The first Sarajevo Film Festival was held in 1995 in an attempt to revive cultural life in the city following a three-year bloody ethnic conflict in Bosnia.

At the 17th edition of the festival this year, the Austrian movie “Breathing” received the best film award while the Bulgarian “Ave” received the special jury award.

The best acting awards went to Austrian Thomas Schubert and Romanian Ada Condeescu.