SOFIA: The 19th edition of the Sofia Meetings coproduction market will take place as a physical and online event from 6 to 12 June 2022. The event was due to take place during the 26th Sofia International Film Fest (10-31, March 2022), but it was postponed from its usual dates.

SOFIA: Award-winning director Ralitza Petrova is currently in preparation with her sophomore feature, Lust. A coming-of-middle-age story and a mystery psychological drama, the film follows a flawed prison officer, who inherits the debts of her deceased, estranged father. This Bulgarian/Danish/Swedish coproduction, produced by Bulgarian Aporia Filmworks, has been recently supported by Eurimages.

SOFIA: Peter Todorov, the newly appointed Director of the Bulgarian National Film Center, spoke with Film New Europe about what he has accomplished in over a month in the office and about what lies ahead.

SOFIA: Bulgarian director Viktor Chouchkov Jr. is currently in development with War of the Letters, an ambitious 12-part period series set in the 10th century. The Bulgarian National Television (BNT) is backing with nearly 900,000 EUR the producer Midwest, which is coproducing together with Nu Boyana Film Studios.

SOFIA: The 26th Sofia International Film Fest will take place from 10 to 31 March 2022, going back to its traditional form of a physical event. A total of 80 films from its programme will be screened online at the same time.

SOFIA: Petar Todorov, experienced manager of independent cinemas and international film festivals, has been appointed Executive Director of the Bulgarian NFC for a five-year term. This happened after he successfully went through an official application procedure conducted by a commission specially nominated by the Ministry of Culture on 7 February 2022.

SOFIA: The Bulgarian National Film Center has approved funding for feature, documentary and animated productions since the end of November 2021. The specific amounts for each project will be determined after the approval of the Finance Committee of the BNFC.

SOFIA: Atanas Atanassov, a 31-year-old actor and producer of documentaries, was appointed Minister of Culture on 13 December 2021. He was nominated by Bulgaria’s PM Kiril Petkov, former caretaker Economy Minister and co-founder of the electoral alliance “We Continue the Change”, launched on 19 September 2021.

SOFIA: Bulgaria’s NFC has announced the postponement of the 26th edition of the most important national non-fiction film festival Golden Rhyton, originally scheduled to take place in Plovdiv 3-9 December 2021.

SOFIA: Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health has launched the COVID-19 Green Certificate as a mandatory requirement for access to cinemas. The initial version of the decision was to enter into force on 22 October 2021, but due to strong negative public responses, the government gave a grace period until 25 October 2021.