Born in 1954 in Sarajevo. After graduating from the Film Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) in 1978, Kusturica began directing made-for-TV television shorts in Yugoslavia. He made his feature film debut in 1981 with Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, which won the Golden Lion for Best First Work at Venice Film Festival. His second feature film, When Father Was Away on Business (1985), earned a Palme d'Or at Cannes as well as a nomination for an American Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. His American debut was an absurdist comedy Arizona Dream (1993). He won the Palme d'Or for his black comedy epic, Underground (1995). Among his latests works are Black Cat, White Cat (1998), Life is a Miracle (2004), Promise Me This (2007).