The Balkan Competition includes films by Radu Jude, Stephan Komandarev, Mladen Đorđević and Janez Burger, among others.
Other competition sections of the festival are dedicated, as usual, to international documentaries, teen films and Bulgarian short films.
In all, the festival will screen 143 long films from 53 countries including feature films, documentary and animated films, as well as nearly 20 short films.
Nadejda Koseva’s sophomore feature The Trap will have its European premiere as the opening film of the festival, but the preliminary programme starts on 11 March 2024 with a retrospective of Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens, who will receive a Special Award of the festival.
Margarethe von Trotta will receive the Sofia Municipality Award for her outstanding contribution to the art of cinema together with Bulgarian set designer Georgi Todorov – Jozi and Bulgarian actress Tsvetana Maneva. The famed Serbian director Radivoje Andrić will also be a guest of the festival, while Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska will be presented with the FIPRESCI Platinum Award.
A selection of films from the present edition of the festival will also screen online on Neterra.tv/plus.
The industry segment of the festival, Sofia Meetings, will be held 20 – 24 March 2024. Its 21st edition will showcase first, second or third feature film projects, TV series in development as well as Works in Progress.
Sofia IFF is organised by Art Fest under the patronage of the Sofia Municipality, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union, in partnership with cultural institutes, sponsors, organisations and friends.
Sofia Meetings is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Sofia Municipality.
Click HERE to see the 2024 Sofia Meetings selected projects and HERE for the Works in Progress selection.
International Competition:
Horia (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia)
Directed by Ana-Maria Comănescu
Produced by microFILM
Coproduced by Klas Film, Biberche Productions
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Film Center Serbia
Afloat (Turkey)
Directed by Aslihan Unaldi
Girls Will Be Girls (India, France, USA, Norway)
Directed by Shuchi Talati
The Quiet Maid (Spain)
Directed by Miguel Faus
The Capture / Captura (Romania, Bulgaria)
Directed by Adrian Voicu
Produced by Axel Film
Coproduced by Contrast Films
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Bulgarian National Film Center (BNFC)
Jupiter (Germany)
Directed by Benjamin Pfohl
Brando with a Glass Eye (Greece, Australia)
Directed by Antonis Tsonis
All about the Levkoviches / Lefkovicsék gyászolnak (Hungary)
Directed by Ádám Breier
Produced by ULab
Coproduced by Proton Cinema
Supported by the National Film Institute – Hungary
Because I Love Bad Weather (Bulgaria)
Directed by Yana Lekarska
Produced by Invictus Ltd
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Sujo (Mexico, France, USA)
Directed by Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
The Trap (Bulgaria, Germany)
Directed by Nadejda Koseva
Produced by Borough Film
Coproduced by Coin Films
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Bulgarian National TV
Beyond the Fog (Japan)
Directed by Daichi Murase
Balkan Competition:
Animal (Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria)
Directed by Sofia Exarchou
Produced by Homemade Films
Coproduced by Nabis Filmgroup SRL, Digital Cube, Felony Film Productions, Ars Digital, in collaboration with Wild at Heart
Supported by Eurimages, Media Creative Europe, the Greek Film Centre, the Austrian Film Institute, the Vienna Film Fund, the Salzburg City Film Fund, the Romanian Film Centre, Mediacom, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, ΕΚΟΜΕ, Crete Prefecture
Africa Star (Cyprus)
Directed by Adonis Florides
Produced by AMP Filmworks
Supported by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture
Working Class Goes To Hell / Radnička klasa ide u pakao (Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania)
Directed by Mladen Đorđević
Produced by Banda, Sense Production
Coproduced by Agitprop, Homemade Films, Adriatic Western, Kinorama, Tangaj Production, Cinnamon Films
Supported by Film Center Serbia, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Greek Film Centre, the Film Centre of Montenegro, the Croatian Audivisual Centre (HAVC), Eurimages
Life / Hayat (Turkey, Bulgaria)
Directed by Zeki Demirkubuz
Produced by Mavi Film
Coproduced by KLAS Film
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Blaga's Lessons / Urotcite na Blaga (Bulgaria, Germany)
Directed by Stephan Komandarev
Produced by Argo film
Coproduced by 42film
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
M (North Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, France and Luxembourg)
Directed by Vardan Tozija, Darijan Pejovski
Produced by Focus Pocus
Coproduced by 4 Film, In My Country, Les Contes Modernes, Wady Media
Supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), the Kosovo Cinematography Center, SACEM, TV Telma
Observing (Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, North Macedonia)
Directed by Janez Burger
Produced by Staragara
Coproduced by Transmedia, Propeler Film, Kaval Film
Supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, RTV Slovenija, FS Viba Film, the North Macedonia Film Agency, Creative Europe MEDIA, Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission, the Italian Ministry of Culture
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World / Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii (Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia)
Directed by Radu Jude
Produced by 4Proof Film, microFILM
Coproduced by Paul Thiltges Distributions, Les Films d’Ici and Kinorama, in association with Bord Cadre Films (Switzerland) and Sovereign Films (UK)
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, Arte Cofinova, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC)
Medium (Greece, Bulgaria)
Directed by Christina Ioakeimidi
Produced by Eksa Productions
Coproduced by Red Carpet
Guardians of the Formula / Čuvari formule (Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia)
Directed by Dragan Bjelogrlić
Produced by United Media, Cobra Film
Coproduced by Perfo Production, Bitter Frames Production, Skopje Film Studio
Supported by Film Center Serbia, the Slovenian Film Centre, the Film Centre of Montenegro, the North Macedonia Film Agency
Libertate (Romania, Hungary)
Directed by Tudor Giurgiu
Produced by Libra Film Productions
Coproduced by Mythberg Films
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the National Film Institute – Hungary
Dormitory (Turkey, Germany, France)
Directed by Nehir Tuna
