Bulgarian cinema in focus at the 29th edition of the International Sofia Film Fest

"Shhhh... It's time for cinema" - this is the motto for the next two weeks as Sofia becomes the cinema capital of Europe. The 29th edition of the largest cinema forum in the Balkans - the International Sofia Film Fest (SFF) opens tonight in Hall No. 1 of the National Palace of Culture with the premiere screening of the latest film by director Svetoslav Ovcharov "The Bet", a co-production between Bulgaria and Romania. The official program this year runs until March 31 and includes a total of 171 full-length fiction, documentary and animated films, including a special selection of 20 short films from 58 countries on 5 continents. Emphasis is placed on new Bulgarian cinema. ‎‎

"What is particularly remarkable about the 29th edition is the presence of Bulgarian cinema," says SFF Director Stefan Kitanov to Svetoslava Kuzmanova from the BNR's Horizont program. "In a program of nearly 180 films, over 60 are Bulgarian. Such a thing has never happened in the history of Sofia Film Fest, which means that Bulgarian cinema not only exists, but is also present at an international festival in Bulgaria and around the world. Of these approximately 60 films, almost 50 will have their world or Sofia premiere at the festival. There are 22 feature films, of which 12 are premieres, 17 documentary premieres, 16 short films, of which 9 are premieres, 11 co-productions, of which 10 are premieres. And as always, the best of world cinema will be presented here," promises the SFF Director. ‎

At the official opening tonight at the National Palace of Culture, two plaques, created by the famous sculptor Georgi Chapkanov aka Chapa, representing the Sofia Municipality Award for Contribution to the Art of Cinema, will be presented. The award will be presented to one of the remarkable Bulgarian actors, Yosif Sarchadzhiev, and to the legendary Croatian director Rajko Grlić, who is a special guest of the festival. ‎

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The Sofia Film Fest Special Award will be presented to director Kosta Bikov, who has dedicated more than five decades to the magic of cinema, as well as to two directors who have left an important mark on European cinema - Czech director Bohdan Slama and Hungarian Szabolcs Hajdu.

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For the 23rd time, an international jury will determine the Grand Prize in the competition for the first or second feature film – “Sofia – City of Cinema” – provided by the Sofia Municipality. ‎

The competition program includes 12 films, and for the first time three of them are Bulgarian titles – Flesh by director Dimitar Stoyanovich and two co-productions of Bulgaria and Italy: Windless by director Pavel G. Vesnakov and Eternity Package by director Magdalena Ilieva. ‎

Among the premiere titles in the documentary program of the 29th SFF is the feature-length film “Artists for Children” by producer and director Elena Panayotova. It is dedicated to the theater program of the same name for disadvantaged children and young people without parents, which originated in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, the village of Shiroka Laka, and reached the magical colors of Kenya, thanks to a small group of Bulgarian artists and their belief that art heals and supports.

"The film features interviews with people who have worked in the program over the past fifteen years from different continents. They were grown-up children who participated in this project, artists, our sponsors, school principals, social workers. They reflect on what happened in the "Artists for Children" program, describing it as a life-changing event. In my opinion, it is very interesting to visually see this story of a young group of artists who, inspired to change the world, arrive in Shiroka Laka in the distant 2002 and find out that there is a home for children without parental care there. And the end of this is how this group of artists reaches Africa, changes cultural policies there, influences many artists and children in 2016 and thus reaches 300 artists from 4 continents and 5,000 children and youth. This was done by a Bulgarian group of artists, which in itself is a very interesting story. And of course in the film we talk about something more important - how important art is for the growth of a child, for a human being in general. I really hope that with this film we will open a greater perspective and once again provoke a dialogue, how important it is for art to enter education, how important theater and drama are for children - it is vital for their development."

Beyond the artistic and human history and value, the film "Artists for Children" can be a means through which to provoke a dialogue between various state educational and legislative institutions about the importance of art in Bulgarian education. "Let's make a change in our society," says Elena Panayotova. And, today more than ever we need meetings with the other, with those different from us. ‎

‎"The encounter with the other is very important, through which you get to know yourself ", Elena Panayotova is convinced. "And in the film we clearly show how some children, whether they are from a social home for parentless children or from the Roma ghetto, are realizing themselves and are currently extremely successful young people, simply because they have gone through this program and, encountering multiculturalism through the stories, through the people who participated in it, have gained a sense of peace for themselves, have answered the question "who are they" and have understood that being different is a normal part of the flow of life." ‎

The same life that has always been the best and most interesting scriptwriter of stories. And the International Sofia Film Fest will have its regional editions this year in Plovdiv from March 20 to April 6, in Varna from March 21 to 29, and the Sofia Film Fest on the Black Sea Coast in Burgas will be from March 20 to 28. For all those who will not have the opportunity to visit the cinemas, the organizers have once again prepared an online edition at Neterra.TV+. The online festival will start two days after the opening of the physical edition and will last exactly a month – from March 15 to April 15. And now - "Shh... It's time for the cinema"!