03-03-2023

FESTIVALS: Sofia Film Festival 2023 Announces Lineup

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    SOFIA: The 27th Sofia International Film Fest will take place entirely onsite from 16 to 31 March 2023 under the motto Reconnect. The festival will also screen numerous of its titles in the towns of Plovdiv (17 March - 2 April), Varna (24 March – 2 April) and Burgas (30 March – 7 April 2023).

    Volker Schlöndorff’s The Forest Maker will open the festival in the famous Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture.

    As a special guest of the festival, Schlöndorff will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest, the new initiative that the festival is launching with the support of the Sofia Municipality and the telecommunication company Yettel. According to an official statement, the Sofia FF “desires the initiative to remind of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”.

    Geraldine Chaplin will receive the Sofia Municipality Special Award. She will be in Sofia for the presentation of Jessica Woodworth’s Luka, which is a Belgian/ Dutch/Armenian/Bulgarian/Italian coproduction between Bo Films, Krater Films, Beluga Tree, Volya Films, Domino, Art Fest and Palosante Films.

    Two Bulgarian debuts have been selected for the main international competition: Tonislav Hristov’s The Good Driver and Orlin Milchev’s The Art of Falling.

    Krzysztof Zanussi and Bille August will also be present in Sofia together with Czech film director Jan Svěrák, who will receive the Special Sofia FF Award.

    The international jury will be headed by the Macedonian film director Milcho Manchevski.

    The 20th anniversary edition of the industry event Sofia Meetings will be held between 23 and 26 March 2023. A new format entitled Industry Talks will be added this year. The selected projects for Sofia Meetings will be announced soon.

    International Competition:

    No End (Germany, Iran,Turkey)
    Directed by Nader Saeivar

    Inside (Greece, Germany, Belgium)
    Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis

    The Good Driver (Finland, Bulgaria)
    Directed by Tonislav Hristov
    Produced by Making Movies Oy
    Coproduced by Soul Food
    Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center

    The Other Widow (Israel, France)
    Directed by Ma'ayan Rypp

    Summer to Come (Hungary)
    Directed by György Mór Kárpáti
    Produced by Proton Cinema
    Supported by the National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI)

    The Art of Falling (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Orlin Milchev
    Produced by Geopoly
    Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center

    To the North (Romania, France, Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic)
    Directed by Mihai Mincan
    Produced by deFilm
    Coproduced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions, Background Films
    Supported by the Romanian Film Centre, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Czech Film Center

    Nightwatch (Germany)
    Directed by Joachim Neef

    Roving Woman (Poland, USA)
    Directed by Michal Chmielewski
    Produced by Friends with Benefits Studio
    Coproduced by Amor Vacui Films
    Supported by the Polish Film Institute (PISF)

    Cold as Marble (Azerbaijan, France)
    Directed by Asif Rustamov

    Red Shoes (Mexico, Italy)
    Directed by Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser

    Cloves and Carnations (Turkey, Belgium)
    Directed by Bekir Bülbül