site.btaLove Is Folly International Film Festival Opens in Varna

The 33rd edition of the Love Is Folly International Film Festival was unveiled at the Festival and Congress Centre here on Friday evening, Varna Municipality announced. As tradition dictates, actors, filmmakers, critics, and cinema lovers walked the red carpet in front of the Centre. Deputy Mayor Snezhana Apostolova welcomed the participants and audiences of the Festival during the official opening ceremony.

Twelve films have been selected for the competition programme, among them the Bulgarian titles Divi Yagodi [Wild Strawberries] by Tatyana Pandurska and Rozhden Den [Birthday] Ivaylo Penchev.

Love Is Folly artistic director Prof. Alexander Grozev said that this is the oldest festival in Bulgaria, established after the years of transition, and each year it presents the cream of world cinema. He introduced the members of the international jury who will evaluate the nominated films. Among them is Polish director, screenwriter, and writer Radoslav Pivovarski. His romantic drama Love Lessons is also featured in the festival programme.

The jury also includes Georgian director Levan Koguashvili and Bulgarian director, screenwriter, and producer Nikolay Bogomilov (Timoteo). They will choose among 12 films competing for the Golden Aphrodite Award.

During the opening ceremony, the traditional award for contribution to the development of cinematic art was presented. This year’s recipient is film music composer Lyubomir Denev. 

The film chosen to open this year’s edition of the festival was the comedy Love Is Folly by Italian director Paolo Genovese, starring Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati, Emanuela Fanelli, and Maria Chiara Giannetta. The film is outside of the competition programme.

The Festival will run until August 31, with the official closing ceremony featuring a screening of the new version of the cult classic Caligula by director Tinto Brass. More than 45 years after the premiere of the original, the US-Italy co-production from 2023 includes never-before-seen footage. In this way, one of the greatest scandals in the history of cinema is presented in its original vision, based on Gore Vidal’s original screenplay.