One of the most memorable films I have seen this past year was the haunting and lyrical film WHITE AS SNOW (Turkey, 2010) by director Selim Gunes and producer Nur Gunes. This is an unforgettable experiment in storytelling, disrupting our linear-prone conception of time in order to think in fragments. The mind doesn’t look back in time sequentially so why should a film that is retrospective? In this film about a poor young boy, Hasan, from the 1970’s, the viewer is forced to struggle through...
MOTHERS (2010) by director Milcho Manchevski screened at the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) 2011. Here find a review of the award-winning film that saw its opening in Toronto at TIFF 2010, screened at Berlinale 2011, won the prize for best feature at Belgrade International Film Festival 2011 and thereafter traveled to Sofia (SIFF), Istanbul International Film Festival (IFF), Aruba (AIFF) and many others, continuing its international festival journey. MOTHERS, a rave review! ...
One of the most memorable films I have seen this past year was the haunting and lyrical film WHITE AS SNOW (Turkey, 2010) by director Selim Gunes and producer Nur Gunes. This is an unforgettable experiment in storytelling, disrupting our linear-prone conception of time in order to think in fragments. The mind doesn’t look back in time sequentially so why should a film that is retrospective? In this film about a poor young boy, Hasan, from the 1970’s, the viewer is forced to struggl...
One of the most memorable films I have seen this past year was the haunting and lyrical film WHITE AS SNOW (Turkey, 2010) by director Selim Gunes and producer Nur Gunes. This is an unforgettable experiment in storytelling, disrupting our linear-prone conception of time in order to think in fragments. The mind doesn’t look back in time sequentially so why should a film that is retrospective? In this film about a poor young boy, Hasan, from the 1970’s, the viewer is forced to struggl...
Living in the forrest, working in the city, it felt like disney "white snow and the seven dwarfs"...but were GIANTS and the discussion were very inspiring.
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NEWSLETTER N° 513: june 18, 2011
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This weekly newsletter reache...
Director: Vladimir Shterianov.
Neshka Robeva was the coach of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team in the 80s and 90s. She led the team to the top and won numerous gold medals at world championships and Olympic Games. Neshka and her athletes were national celebrities. After she was forced the leave the coach position she started putting on dance shows which became extremely successful in Bulgaria and toured in many countries abroad. The film tells the story of this talented and relentless woman who proves that success comes with passion and hard work.
7 ............. NEWSLETTER N° 512: june 8, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly Contact the Editor to Advertise with us This weekly newsletter reaches 111 000 film professionals. ...
7 ............. NEWSLETTER N° 511: May 31, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly Contact the Editor to Advertise with us This weekly newsletter reaches 90 952 film professionals. S...
Iglika Trifonova and Rossitsa ValkanovaThe winner of this year's Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award for the best Eastern and Central European Script was named during Cannes International Film Festival.
Through the decision of the Advisory Board members: Sandy Lieberson, Manfred Schmidt, Dariusz Jablonski and ScripTeast Heads of Studies: Tom Abrams and Christian Routh, the Award has been made to the script FALSE WITNESS by Iglika Triffonova (Bulgaria), which was tutored by Head of St...
Ovanes TorosyanOvanes Torosyan plays one of the two leads in Konstantin Bojanov’s Ave, which was selected in the competition programme of the Critics Week at Cannes. The film’s premiere within the framework of one of the world’s most renowned festivals is today.
Ave started as a project at the 6th edition of Sofia Meetings.
Ovanes has not seen the film yet and he shares his experiences only from the production process.
- What attracted you to the film?
I was in m...
Boyka VelkovaKamen Kalev's The Island was screened for the first time last night at Cannes during the programme Directors Fortnight (Quinzaine des realizateurs). Let us wish that the film has a long a successful life on top world festivals and in full cinema halls.
Below is our interview with Boyka Velkova, one of the main actresses in Kalev'a second feature, which started as project during Sofia Meetings.
- What is your role in The Island and what exactly enticed you to take part...
Thure LindhartKamen 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, where it will be screened on May 16.
The film was first pitched as a project during Sofia Meetings’04. The cast includes the French model and actress Laetitia Casta, the Danish actor Thure Lindhart and their Bulg...
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, Mihai...
Goran PaskalevicPerhaps the most original Serbian director today is in Sofia for the meeting of the Bord of the European Film Academy. As a member of EFA Goran Paskaljevic took part in Sofia Meetings and he also found a time in his hectic schedule to talk with me about his last five films from Balkan Cabaret (1998) onwards. SIFF’s audiences are familiar with all of them.
When I end working on a certain film I immediately start working on a new one. Balkan Cabaret (1998) is a film about...
Danis TanovicProbably one of the most long-awaited guests and for sure one of the favorite directors of the audience especially of SIFF (since 2002, the year of No Man’s Land – the film, the Oscar, the wine, the whole story) Danis Tanovic finally came to Sofia to meet his devoted audience.
After the screening of his new film Circus Columbia following the Ceremony of bestowing the awards of SIFF there is no need to talk. Circus Columbia is an original piece of artistic work, saying ev...
Dunja Klemenc Some Other Stories is a co-production between Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Ireland. Each of the five segments in the film has been shot by a team from one of the ex Yugoslavia countries. The common theme is that of motherhood and all the five stories place their protagonist in extreme situations where they ask themselves what does it take to be a mother, to give life… especially in a world that is far from hospitable.
The stories, the a...
Bence MiklauzicThe director of one of the films from the International Competition, Children of the Green Dragon, Bence Miklauzic, replied with a smile to the question that is asked to every guest of the festival, whether he has been to Bulgaria before, “It is my first time in Sofia, but my second time in Bulgaria. As a child, 20 years ago, I was also one of the tourists that came for their vacation to the Black Sea.”
- Is the story of the unusual friendship between a Hungarian and a ...
The way of festivals: uniqueness, new trends, audience
Festival representatives discuss the new ways they should find to keep and attract audience, how to keep up with the digital world.
Éva Vezér (HUN)
Hungarian Film Unio
The participants will represent the following festivals:
IFF Bratislava (SLK)
Diagonale Film Festival (AUT)
OHO Cinema (AUT)
Next Film Festival (ROM)
Alter-Native Short Film Festival (ROM)
Sofia International Film Festival (BUL)
Sarajevo...
The way of festivals: uniqueness, new trends, audience Festival representatives discuss the new ways they should find to keep and attract audience, how to keep up with the digital world. Éva Vezér (HUN)Hungarian Film UnioThe participants will represent the following festivals:IFF Bratislava (SLK)Diagonale Film Festival (AUT)OHO Cinema (AUT)Next Film Festival (ROM)Alter-Native Short Film Festival (ROM)Sofia International Film Festival (BUL)Sarajevo Film Festival (BIH)Beldocs FF (SRB)Nordic Film...
Ben Berkowitz
10 years ago Ben Berkowitz made his debut as a film director with a movie called Straightman (Benzfilm, 2001). The story in the film is about the friendship between a straight guy and a gay, but without any Hollywood clichés about falling in love, having sex, ect. ‘Just the story about two friends – one of them likes women, the other likes men – that’s it’, as the director describes it. Berkowitz’s intention in this film was to show the possible relationship bet...
“I don’t like the system of celebrities. I am a normal human being. I
like living in Europe. I visit Hollywood often, but I never wanted to
sign a contract and work there for a long period of time,” states the
world famous Italian actress.
The legendary actress arrives in
Sofia as a special guest of the 15th jubilee edition of the Sofia
International Film Festival. A gala screening of Luchino Visconti’s film
The Leopard will take place on the 11th of March in Hall 1 of ...
Yves MarmionYves Marmion is one of the leading European producers with titles such as Arizona Dream, The Apartment, I Loved You for So Long, among others in his biography. He is also the Chairman of the European Film Academy
(EFA) and as such he came to Sofia during the 15th edition of Sofia
International Film Festival along with his colleagues from the EFA’s
managing board for one of their working meetings.
- Could you tell me how did your session go today? Are you able to di...
7 ............. NEWSLETTER N° 510: May 23, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly Contact the Editor to Advertise with us This weekly newsletter reaches 111 952 film professionals....
7 ............. NEWSLETTER N° 509: May 20, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly Contact the Editor to Advertise with us This weekly newsletter reaches 90 952 film professionals. Dail...
