London, May 7 (IANS): Actress Angelina Jolie has thanked the people of Bosnia for making her an honorary citizen of Sarajevo.

The actress-turned-director stepped behind the camera last year for "In the Land of Blood and Honey", a story about a romance between a Serbian soldier and a Bosnian woman.

Her efforts were praised by government officials at the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton Parliament for drawing attention to the area, and they decided to award the 36-year-old with a special citizenship prize, reports contactmusic.com.

A ceremony was held May 3 at Sarajevo's National Theatre, where a pre-recorded video message from Jolie was played.

In the clip, she said: "I am deeply grateful to the citizens of Sarajevo and the Sarajevo Canton assembly for bestowing upon me this incredible honour of citizenship. I am so proud to now be a part of such an extraordinary part of the world and fellow citizen to the people I deeply love and admire."

"I wish I could be there with all of you tonight, and I look forward to visiting in July when I can properly accept and personally express my gratitude."