THURSDAY, MARCH 15

MAIN PROGRAMME

10.00 – 18.30

WORKING SESSIONS with Isabelle Fauvel, Initiative Film (France)

GHS, Executive Lounge, 1st floor

(participants with projects only)

10.00 – 18.30

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING with Licia Eminenti (France)

GHS, Serdica Hall 1, 1st floor

(participants with projects only)

Screening

18.30

A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK, Bulgaria, 2017, 98’, Director Aleksandar Smolianov

Lumiere Lidl Cinema

20.30

DINNER on the occasion of the opening of 15th Sofia Meetings

Hosted by MEDIENBOARD BERLIN-BRANDENBURG, MDM,

FILMFESTIVAL COTTBUS AND CONNECTING COTTBUS

Pod Lipite Restaurant

(by invitation only)

PARALLEL PROGRAMME

12.00 – 17.00

VR HUB SOFIA MEETINGS – VR Screenings

GHS, Sredetz Meeting Room, 2nd floor

14.00 – 16.00

NU BOYANA FILM STUDIOS GUIDED TOUR

Meeting Point: Grand Hotel Sofia

16.00 – 16.45

AUDIENCE! AUDIENCE!

‘Help from the audience. Bulgarian films and their viewers at the beginning of the XXI century.’

With Alexander Donev (Bulgaria)

GHS, Triaditza Hall 1, 1st floor

17.00 – 19.00

HOW TO WRITE A PROJECT

Workshop with Martin Kiselov (Bulgaria)

GHS, Triaditza Hall 1, 1st floor

22.30

AFTER PARTY

IN THE PARK (Former MATTI’D)

(above Lumiere Lidl Cinema)

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

MAIN PROGRAMME

10.00 – 10.40

OPENING OF THE 15th SOFIA MEETINGS and WHO IS WHO

Presentation of all guests and participants of Sofia Meetings

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

10.40 – 11.40

SECOND FILMS PITCHING 6 projects

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

11.40 – 12.00

COFFEE BREAK

*GHS – Grand Hotel Sofia

12.00 – 13.20

PLUS MINUS ONE PITCHING 8 projects

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

13.30 – 15.00

LUNCH Hosted by CED MEDIA (Bulgaria)

(by invitation only)

15.00 – 16.20

FIRST FILMS FIRST PITCHING 8 projects

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

17.00 – 18.00

AUDIENCE! AUDIENCE!

DISTRIBUTION AND FILM FUNDS POLICIES

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

19.00

SOFIA IFF AWARDS CEREMONY

Followed by a screening of The Leisure Seeker, 112’

National Palace of Culture, Hall 1

20.30 – 23.00

DINNER on the occasion of the 15th SofiaMeetings

Hosted by BULGARIAN NATIONAL FILM CENTER

Festival Center IN THE PARK (Former MATTI’D)

(above Lumiere Lidl Cinema) (by invitation only)

22.00

CHOUCHKOV BROTHERS PARTY

Fabrica 126 (by invitation only)

PARALLEL PROGRAMME

10.00 – 13.30

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING with Licia Eminenti (France)

GHS, Serdica Hall 1, 1st floor

(participants with projects only)

12.00 – 18.00

VR HUB SOFIA MEETINGS – VR Screenings

GHS, Sredetz Meeting Room, 2nd floor

14.00 – 15.30

AWARENESS RESPONSIBILITY PROFESSIONALITY

Talk on Casting for Actors and following Q & A session

With the Casting Director Beatrice Kruger (Italy)

GHS, Serdica Hall 1, 1st floor

15.30 – 17.00

CREATIVE EUROPE MEDIA DAY

NEW MOMENTS AND EXPERIENCES FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES

With Kamen Balkanski, Head CED MEDIA (Bulgaria)

Mercedes Fernandez, TorinoFilmLab (Italy)

Danijel Hocevar, MIDPOINT (Slovenia)

Stefan Arsenijevic, First Films First (Serbia)

GHS, Serdica Hall 1, 1st floor

17.00 – 17.30

PRESENTATION OF ACE PRODUCERS with Simon Perry (Netherlands)

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

MAIN PROGRAMME

9.30 – 13.30

ONE TO ONE MEETINGS

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

11.00 – 11.30

COFFEE BREAK

13.30 – 14.30

LUNCH (by invitation only)

14.30 – 18.30

ONE TO ONE MEETINGS

GHS, Sofia Conference Hall, 2nd floor

Screening

18.30

8'19'', Bulgaria, 2018, 90’, Directors Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Luybomir Mladenov, Nadejda Koseva, Theodore Ushev, Vladimir Lyutskanov Lumiere Lidl Cinema

20.30 – 22.00

CLOSING DINNER of the15th SOFIA MEETINGS

Central Army Club

(by invitation only)

22.00

SOFIA MEETINGS AWARD CEREMONY and PARTY

Central Army Club

(by invitation only)

PARALLEL PROGRAMME

9.30 – 12.30

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING with Licia Eminenti (France)

GHS, Triaditza Hall 1, 1st floor

(participants with projects only)

10.30 – 11.30

CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS: WILL IT WORK FOR YOU?

With Melody Gilbert (USA) & Dumitria Pacicovschi (Italy)

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

11.45 – 14.00

INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING: DISCUSSING AN INDUSTRY IN MOTION

With Mirka Duijn (Netherlands)

SHORT PRESENTATIONS FROM CREATORS, MAKERS AND SPECIALISTS

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

12.00 – 18.00

VR HUB SOFIA MEETINGS

VR Screenings

GHS, Sredetz Meeting Room, 2nd floor

14:30 – 15.10

6 REASONS YOUR FIRST VFX SHOW WILL BE A COMPLETE DISASTER

By Nu Boyana FX

Starring Peter Dimitrov & Martin Georgiev (Bulgaria)

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

15.15 – 16.00

PRESENTATION OF ROMA LAZIO FILM COMMISSION

With Luciano Sovena (Italy)

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

16.00 – 17.30

PROFESSION: CASTING DIRECTOR

Talk on Casting for Producers and Directors and following Q & A session

With the Casting Director Beatrice Kruger (Italy)

GHS, Serdica Hall, 1st floor

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

10.00 – 12.00

NU BOYANA FILM STUDIOS GUIDED TOUR

Meeting Point: Grand Hotel Sofia

Screening

20.30

OCCUPATION 1968, Bulgaria-Germany-Hungary-Poland-Russia, 2018, 120’

Directors Stephan Komandarev, Marie Elisa Scheidt, Linda Dombrovszsky, Magdalena Szymków, Evdokia Moskvina Lumiere Lidl Cinema

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 14-18

FIRST FILMS FIRST WORKSHOP

GHS (closed event, participants only)

EUROPA CINEMAS SEMINAR

G8 Cinema

(closed event, participants only)

EUROPA DISTRIBUTION WORKSHOP

GHS, Sofia Club, Ground floor

(closed event, participants only)

THURSDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 15-17

10.00 – 19.00

VIDEO SCREENINGS

Video Library

GHS, Room 104, 1st floor

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

10.00 – 14.00

VIDEO SCREENINGS

Video Library

GHS, Room 104, 1st floor

Sofia Meetings presents the following Awards:

We are very happy to announce our new partner CineLab Romania. Cinelab Romania will present an Award for one of the projects in the main selection. The Award consists of 25 000 Euro in postproduction services.

Nu Boyana Film Studios ’ Danny Lerner Award - Grand Prix for Best Project. The leading European film studio will back up two of the projects this year, each with aprize of 50,000 Euro in services and 5 000 Euro in cash during the production of the project.

CineLab - 25 000 Euro in post production lab services (without VFX & Sound).

Focusfox Studio Award equal to 10,000 Euro in post-production services.

East West Filmdistribution Award – script consultancy with Steven Goldsmith, an Irish-American script doctor and writer (equal of 5,000 Euro).

Young Producer Award – YAPIMLAB will invite one producer for a week of project consultancy in Istanbul or Antalya, during International Antalya Film Festival, and offer network possibilities within Turkish industry (equal of 5,000 Euro).

Producers Network (Cannes Market) will award two accreditations for Producers Network at Cannes Market 2018.

Crossroads will select and present one of the projects from Sofia Meetings.

Mediterranean Film Institutewill award a scholarship to one of the projects from Sofia Meetings to participate in MFI Script 2 Film Workshops.

SOFIA: A total of 29 projects are participating in the 15th Sofia Meetings (15-18 March 2018), the industry platform of the 22nd Sofia International Film Festival (7-18 March 2018).

WARSAW: Polish Dorota Kobiela and British Hugh Welchman were awarded the Director of the Year Award at the 20th edition of Cartoon Movie, the annual European feature animation industry event, held in Bordeaux, France on 9 March 2018.

JIHLAVA: Submissions to the 7th edition of Emerging Producers can be sent until 31 March 2018. The selection of producers will be announced during the summer of 2018.

October 25 –29, 2018 / 22nd Ji.hlava IDFF / Czech Republic;
February 4 – 8, 2019 / Berlin / Germany

 

Zlín - Czechoslovak films for children and youth. This is the main theme of the 58th Zlín Film Festival, which is linked to this year's 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. Complimenting this will be an Austrian movie section reminding us of the fact that our southern neighbor is also celebrating the same anniversary.  At the Congress Center in Zlín today, the organizers of the festival also presented the visual concept of this year's festival, which is based on the playful monkeys of artist Petr Nikl. 

The basic idea follows on last year's visual concept, which was inspired by the character of Pippi Longstocking, who also had a monkey. The original and playful graphic element of letters made up of silhouettes of monkeys has been brought to this year's concept. "After the festival, Pippi returned home to the north. Our monkey stayed all alone in Zlín. That's why we sent for her siblings, another three monkeys.  And these monkeys started having a blast from the get go. While monkeying around, they discovered some paint cans. Of course, they immediately began painting each other. And this is how the colored monkeys ended up dried together out in the full sunlight," says author Zdeněk Macháček from 6.15 Studio on the main idea that led him to create a visual concept for the 58th year of the film festival and adds: "We would like to believe that the strong colorfulness and beautiful drawings of the monkeys in various comic situations – both communication and play – will be welcomed by the festival's audience."

The letter "O" was created by Petr Nikl as one of the cartoon letters called "The Alphabet of Monkeys" for the book Allegory of Monkeys issued by Meander publishing house last year. "We are delighted that Petr Nikl has been nominated for CZECH GRAND DESIGN 2017 for these illustrations, which are now part of our festival's visual concept, and that the book has been nominated for Best Book of the Year award in 2017," says Festival President Čestmír Vančura. 

The main theme of the 58th film festival with regard to the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia will be Czechoslovak film, which will be presented to the audiences in 4 thematic sections. "For example, we will screen a collection of children's films and fairy tales compiled by actors and filmmakers, accompanied by their authentic memories," says Markéta Pášmová. She added that one of the sections would also include internationally renowned screenwriter, programme director of FSB Barrandov, and writer Oto Hofman, who would celebrate his 90th birthday this year. A new documentary by Karel Smyczka, which maps Hofman's work, will be premiered at the festival. In addition, audiences will be able to enjoy the 9 most successful TV series for children and teenagers and the festival will also commemorate the phenomenon of Czechoslovak film music. We also won't neglect the 120th anniversary of the first Czech films. The National Film Archive is preparing a special commentary-accompanied block of Jan Kříženecký's films from the end of the 19th century for the Zlín Film Festival.

The film festival's attention will also focus on Austria, its cinema, and culture. The program will feature nearly 20 Austrian feature films as well as a number of animated and student films. "We have put a small Austrian window on the agenda because our neighbors are celebrating the same anniversary as us; for centuries we were united in one state with them," Markéta Pášmová reminds us. A natural counterpart to traditional European film will be the introduction of a new section dedicated to American independent films for young people.

The celebration of our republic's anniversary will also be reflected in the awards, during which an extraordinary personality will be awarded for their outstanding contribution to the making of works for children and young people. The 58th Zlín Film Festival will see the twenty-second awarding of the Golden Slipper and will be the historical first to award two film stars – Slovak actress Magda Vašáryová and Czech actor Jaromír Hanzlík.

The offering of films is traditionally complemented by a colourful supporting program, which this year will sometimes be tied to the main Czechoslovak theme and to the 120th anniversary of Czech cinema. "One of the new items in the supporting program will be a section called BIOGRAF; this will contain screenings of Czechoslovak silent film comedies from the first decades of the 20th century with piano accompaniment. To capture the period's atmosphere, there will also be historical costumes, a barker, and a concession seller," Jarmila Záhorová informs us.

The supporting program of the festival will also offer an interesting Film Industry section with professional lectures and workshops, a number of theatrical performances, concerts, exhibitions, interactive and benefit programs as well as sports and social events.  

A traditional part of the festival is the auction of artistically rendered film clapperboards. This year's collection of the Clapperboard Salon will be made up of 140 original pieces by leading Czech artists, some of whom have been involved in the project since its very beginning. The 21st Clapperboard Salon starts on March 13, 2018 in Mladá Boleslav. The CLAPPERBOARD TOUR 2018 will have six stops, including an exhibition abroad at the European Parliament in Brussels. It will culminate again with the traditional auction, which will take place on 27 May at the Congress Center in Zlín.

The Zlín Film Festival – International Film Festival for Children and Youth is the oldest and, currently, largest film festival of its kind in the world. The festival's mission is to present international film productions for children and teenagers, to make them accessible to the child audiences, and offer a high-quality alternative to commonly available audiovisual content. An important aspect of the festival is to educate young audiences through the medium of film, expand their awareness of the outside world, and develop their aesthetic, social, and moral feelings. The aim of the program is to contribute to the development of Czech cinema for children and youth.

The 58th festival will take place from 25 May to 2 June, 2018 in Zlín and other cities of the Czech Republic. The main theme will be a Czechoslovak film for children and youth in honor of 100 years of Czech statehood and 120 years of Czechoslovak film. This extensive collection will be complemented by an Austrian film window organized to remind us the identical anniversary of our neighbor, with whom we shared many centuries in the former monarchy. The organizer of the festival is the company FILMFEST, s.r.o..

You can find out more at www.zlinfest.cz. 

Media contact 

Ing. Kateřina Martykánová
PR manager
tel.: +420 602 576 870
email: katerina.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

PRAGUE: The 7th East Doc Platform, the largest coproduction, funding and distribution platform tailor-made for CEE documentaries, wrapped in Prague on 9 March 2018. Marianna Kaat’s Estonian/Polish coproduction The Last Relic won Best Project Award in East Doc Forum. Ex Oriente Film Workshop awards were also announced.

Organized by the Institute of Documentary Film, the EAST DOC PLATFORM – the largest event for documentary filmmakers in Central and Eastern Europe – took place for the seventh time. From March 3 to 9, Prague hosted 350 film professionals from around the world. This unique event allows filmmakers to pitch their documentary projects in early stages to renowned experts, get valuable experience and establish important contacts and partnerships for a future career. Nearly fifty documentary projects were presented to several juries and competed for one of several awards and cash prizes in the amount of EUR 35,000.

PRAGUE: Ten debut and sophomore films are competing in the New Europe competition of the 25th Prague International Film Festival,, set to start on 15 March 2018.

STRASBOURG: The Czech Republic is the EU country with the biggest growth rate of SVOD subscribers in 2015-2016 (226%), according to the analysis Trends in the EU SVOD market published by the European Audiovisual Observatory.