Bulgaria’s most important film festival and one of the most popular in Eastern Europe, the Sofia International Film Festival, is getting ready for its 20^th-anniversary edition. “Twenty is a symbol of youth, but 20 is also a symbol of maturity,” say the organisers in a press release announcing the first titles in competition, famous special guests and special programmes.

After its debut at Black Nights in November, Iglika Triffonova’s The Prosecutor, the Defender, the Father and His Son [+lire aussi :
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interview : Iglika Triffonova
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The festival has also announced seven of the 13 films competing for the top award. Besides the two Bulgarian productions, Svetla Tsotsorkova’s Thirst [+lire aussi :
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interview : Svetla Tsotsorkova
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fiche film], other European titles are Tomás Weinreb and Petr Kazda’s I, Olga Hepnarova [+lire aussi :
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interview : Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda
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Among the most interesting sidebars at the 20^th edition are the Big Awards programme, with winning films selected at the most prestigious film festivals; Cinema Today – The Masters, with the most recent films directed by the cinema greats; and Cinema Tomorrow – Discoveries, a selection of films directed by the most promising new voices of cinema.

In total, 250 foreign guests are expected at the festival, among them Terry Gilliam, who will be the recipient of the Sofia Award for his contribution to the art of cinema.