site.btaSofia Film Fest Features 143 Films from 53 Countries

"Open the doors to world cinema!" is the motto of the 28th Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF, March 13-31), the festival's director Stefan Kitanov announced on Tuesday. The programme includes 143 feature-length fiction, documentary and animation films, as well as a special selection of nearly 20 short films from 53 countries on six continents.

The preliminary programme starts on March 1 at the Odeon Cinema with a retrospective of Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens.

The SIFF programme in Sofia continues until April 5.

"The screenings of the festival programme will be in cinemas, where the audience can experience the film stories together and meet many of their creators. At the same time, we continue to present a special selection of films online - in 2024 we are partnering again with Neterra TV and audiences across the country will be able to watch selected titles from the festival programme," Kitanov said.

In Sofia, the authors of the selected works in the competition programmes will be presented in person to the Bulgarian audience in the cinemas. The SIFF in Plovdiv will be from March 15 to 31, the edition in Varna from March 22 to 30 and in Burgas from March 21 to 29.

The festival officially opens with the European premiere of Nadejda Koseva's film The Trap.

The emphasis on the environmental theme, which continues to be relevant both in cinema and in our everyday lives, is complemented by the green tree planting initiative launched in 2023 by the festival's special guests. The SIFF Forest will be enriched by inviting significant artists in the world of cinema to get involved by planting new saplings, the organizers said.

German director Margarethe von Trotta will present her latest film Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey Into the Desert. She will have a special master class at the Goethe Institute and will receive the Sofia Municipality Award - for her outstanding contribution to the art of cinema. The same recognition will be given to the painter and set designer Georgi Todorov (Zhozi), as well as the legend of Bulgarian cinema and theatre, actress Tzvetana Maneva.

World-famous Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska will receive the FIPRESCI Platinum Award, and will present her new film Woman of… and will meet with film fans in a master class at the Polish Institute, Sofia.

The SIFF Special Prize will be awarded in 2024 to the creative tandem of screenwriters, directors, and producers Jessica Woodworth (USA-Belgium) and Peter Brosens (Belgium), as well as Serbian director Radivoje Andric.

On March 23, the SIFF will hand out the awards to the best films in competition, and after the ceremony will premiere Sofia Coppola's latest film Priscilla at the festival's special American Gala.

For the 22nd time, an international jury will determine the Grand Prize in competition for the first or second feature film - "Sofia - City of Cinema", containing a cash prize provided by the Sofia Municipality. The jury is chaired by Hungarian filmmaker Szabolcs Hajdu, and the jury also includes directors Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia, will present her film and festival hit Citizen Saint) and Zornitsa Sophia (Bulgaria), actor Dimiter Marinov (USA-Bulgaria, will premiere his short film Pickled Herring in Bulgaria) and director of the European Film Market in Berlin Dennis Ruh (Germany).

Twelve films are also included in the Balkan Competition of the festival. Landmark documentaries with prizes from Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Oscar nominations are included in the documentary competition of the SIFF.

Among the special guests of the festival are Romanian director Cristi Puiu, who will present his latest film MMXX, German director Veit Helmer with his new film Gondola, Finnish actress Alma Poysti with Aki Kaurismaki's film Fallen Leaves. The president of the jury of the documentary competition - Vitaliy Manskiy, is coming to Sofia with his latest film Eastern Front, and Szabolcs Hajdu and Jim Stark will present their film Kalman-nap.

The 21st edition of Sofia Meetings will take place between March 20 and 24. This is the only professional event in Bulgaria, recognized by the global film industry and partnering with the most important forums in the world. It presents projects by emerging filmmakers in front of a professional audience of active producers, investors, sales agencies, and distributors on the one hand, and films that are in the process of completion on the other - in front of selectors from the world's leading forums.