Sofia International Film Festival 2018 opens officially on March 7
The 22nd Sofia Film Festival opens on March 7 2018 in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture, NDK, with the official premiere of the new feature film Ága by Milko Lazarov.
The festival’s programme and the traditional Bourgas, Plovdiv and Varna events will continue until March 29.
The programme includes about 150 full-length feature films and documentaries, and more than 20 short films.
The Sofia International Film Festival is the biggest film festival in Bulgaria. It began in 1997 and attracts more than 85 000 spectators annually. The festival aims to present the best of the contemporary cinema to local audiences and regional Bulgarian and Balkan cinema to international audiences, as well as to encourage cooperation between local and international filmmakers.
During the festival, there will be the traditional co-production market, Sofia Meetings, which brings more than 300 foreign professionals to the festival including strong number of distributors, members of Europa Distribution, and exhibitors, members of Europa Cinemas. Sofia Meetings is one of the leading coproduction events in Europe and especially the region.
In the “Cinema Today – Masters” part of the programme, the festival will show films from some of the world’s best-known filmmakers.
The programme features titles like: Fatih Akin’s In the Fade (Golden Globe Award for Foreign Language Film, Best Actress Award to Diane Kruger, Cannes 2017), Loveless (Russia) by Andrey Zvyagintsev (awards from Cannes, London and the European Film Academy, nominated for a foreign language Oscar), The Florida Project, Shawn Baker’s latest film (featured in Directors Fortnight, Cannes 2017, Oscar nomination to William Defoe for Best Supporting Actor), Redoubtable, by Michel Hazanavicius (premiered in Cannes 2017), Julian Rosefeldt’s Manifesto, featuring Cate Blanchett, Jupiter’s Moon, by Kornél Mundruczó (Golden Palm nomination, Cannes 2017), Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot (Silver Lion Jury Prize and two more prizes from Venice 2017, with eight awards from the Israeli Film Academy).
Within this year’s Sofia International Film Fest, on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, the Embassy of Israel in Sofia is presenting some of the best Israeli movies, most of them screened for the first time in recent months.
More than 15 screenings will take place during “Focus Israel” of the 22nd International Sofia Film Fest. Among the movies the audience will see an Oscar-nominated film, world awarded feature films, one film running in the Festival competition, and a documentary film, among others. Directors and producers from Israel will arrive to present their productions.
The Israeli Gala of the 22nd Sofia International film Fest with the special screening of the film New Spirit will be held on March 18 at 8.30pm at Cinema House. The film will be presented by the director Doron Eran.
The films being shown in the Israeli Gala are Foxtrot, New Spirit, Snapshot, Red Cow, The Cakemaker, Death of the Poetess, and Ben Gurion, Epilogue.
Full details of the 2018 Sofia International Film Festival programme are available here and information about tickets is available here.
