04/03/2014 - Twelve first or second features will be vying for the festival’s top award from 6 March

France is being represented at the festival by Giraffada

The 18th edition of the Sofia International Film Festival, Bulgaria’s top film event, will kick off on 6 March. The organisers have recently announced the competition titles, consisting of 12 first and second features from all over the world.

Bulgaria is being represented by Konstantin Burov’s first feature, Rat Poison; Germany by Jan Schomburg’s Lose My Self [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; France by Giraffada [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a co-production with Palestine directed by Rani Massalha; Italy and Slovenia by Matteo Oleotto’s Zoran, My Nephew the Idiot [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Matteo Oleotto
film profile]; Spain by Luis Miñarro’s Falling Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luis Miñarro ­
film profile]; Serbia by Mina Djukic’s The Disobedient [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Georgia by Levan Koguashvili’s Blind Dates; and Great Britain by John Jenck’s The Fold.

Asia has two films in competition, with India represented by Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice and China by Vivian Qu’s Trap Street. Russia is in with a chance at the awards with Dubrovskiy, directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky and Aleksandr Vartanov, while the United States is competing with Menthol, by Micah Van Hove.

The international jury, headed by Russian producer and director Alexander Rodnyansky, also comprises Turkish director Lusin Dink, Bulgarian actress Silvia Petkova, French producer Cedomir Kolar and German producer Alexander Ris. They will announce the winners during a gala held on the last day of the festival.

The edition also features a "Big Awards" section, which includes winners from the most recent editions of important film festivals; a homage to Lars von Trier; a section showcasing the newest Bulgarian productions, headed by the opening film, Stephan Komandarev’s The Judgement; the “Cinema Today - the Great Masters” section, with the most recent work of famous directors; and a Focus on Serbian cinema. More than 200 films will be screened in the festival’s venues, with a selection of titles going to Burgas, Plovdiv and Varna after the Sofia edition.