Kamen Kalev’s second feature The Island, which tells the story of a young couple heading to a remote island in the Black Sea where their relationship is questioned, was invited to the Directors Fortnight section of the 64 Cannes International Film Festival.  

The film was first pitched as a project during Sofia Meetings’04. The cast includes the French model and actress Leticia Kasta, the Danish actor Thure Lindhart and their Bulgarian fellow actors Boyka Velkova, Russi Chanev, Mihail Mutafov and others. The renowned French magazine Cahiers du cinema included The Island in his list of the most anticipated films of 2011.

During the 14th Sofia International Film Festival in 2010 Kalev’s debut feature Eastern Plays received the Kodak award for Best Bulgarian Feature and the Award of the International Jury (Special Mention). Еastern Plays was also first presented as a project during Sofia Meetings.

Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov will bring his first feature Ave to the competition of this year’s Cannes Critics Week. There are seven titles invited to compete during the 50th edition of the programme. Ave, starring the young Angela Nedialkova and Ovanes Torosian, tells the story of Kamen who meets Ave, a 17-year-old runaway girl who gets him deeper and deeper into trouble. The film was presented at the 6th Sofia Meetings in 2009, and this year, the director presented the project for his second film, The Bus.

Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov’s debut feature Sneakers is selected to participate in the International Competition of the Moscow film festival and in the competition programme of the ‘East of the West’ section at Karlovy Vary. Sneakers tells the story of six young people who run away from their shortcomings in life and the big city’s aggression to the seaside. In 2010, the film was presented as a project in development within the framework of Sofia Meetings. 

Sofia International Film Festival and Sofia Meetings congratulate the film’s creators and crews and wish them the best of luck in Cannes, Moscow and Karlovy Vary.

www.siff.bg

19 April 2011