03/09/2010

Bulgaria’s domestic hits like Mission: London [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Dimitar Mitovski and Eastern Plays [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kamen Kalev
film profile] by Kamen Kalev will compete in the Golden Rose Film Festival, to be held from October 2-8 , in Varna.

The festival, which reaches its 29th edition, takes place every two years and will showcase all the Bulgarian films produced since the previous edition. 24 features are expected to be screened in this year's seven-day program. Out of those 24 films, 15 were made with grants from the National Film Centre, while six were produced by the Bulgarian National Television. Three are completely independent productions and half of the titles are also features debuts.

At the very end of the festival a jury lead by Bulgarian director Ivan Nichev will announce the best film of the last two years, Mission London and Eastern Plays having the biggest chance to win the festival's top trophy.

Mitovski's Mission London, the country's biggest box-office hit in recent history, will open the festival. The film has sold as many as 371,000 tickets during its 20-weeks run in Bulgarian cinemas. It is still screen.

As for Eastern Plays, Kalev's first feature is a festival dear. It premièred in 2009 in Cannes, winning afterwards important prizes in festivals all over the world and being selected to the LUX Prize of the European Parliament. In July it was elected Best Domestic Film of 2009 by the Bulgarian Film Academy.

According to the organization, this year's edition will launch a short film competition, meant to encourage young filmmakers to take a first step in the industry. The festival will also organize a workshop with international participation on “Strategies for the international success of contemporary Bulgarian cinema”.