Volker Schlöndorff’s The Forest Maker will open the festival in the famous Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture.
As a special guest of the festival, Schlöndorff will plant the first tree of the future Sofia Film Festival Forest, the new initiative that the festival is launching with the support of the Sofia Municipality and the telecommunication company Yettel. According to an official statement, the Sofia FF “desires the initiative to remind of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. We wish to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and a responsible attitude towards nature”.
Geraldine Chaplin will receive the Sofia Municipality Special Award. She will be in Sofia for the presentation of Jessica Woodworth’s Luka, which is a Belgian/ Dutch/Armenian/Bulgarian/Italian coproduction between Bo Films, Krater Films, Beluga Tree, Volya Films, Domino, Art Fest and Palosante Films.
Two Bulgarian debuts have been selected for the main international competition: Tonislav Hristov’s The Good Driver and Orlin Milchev’s The Art of Falling.
Krzysztof Zanussi and Bille August will also be present in Sofia together with Czech film director Jan Svěrák, who will receive the Special Sofia FF Award.
The international jury will be headed by the Macedonian film director Milcho Manchevski.
The 20th anniversary edition of the industry event Sofia Meetings will be held between 23 and 26 March 2023. A new format entitled Industry Talks will be added this year. The selected projects for Sofia Meetings will be announced soon.
International Competition:
No End (Germany, Iran,Turkey)
Directed by Nader Saeivar
Inside (Greece, Germany, Belgium)
Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis
The Good Driver (Finland, Bulgaria)
Directed by Tonislav Hristov
Produced by Making Movies Oy
Coproduced by Soul Food
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
The Other Widow (Israel, France)
Directed by Ma'ayan Rypp
Summer to Come (Hungary)
Directed by György Mór Kárpáti
Produced by Proton Cinema
Supported by the National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI)
The Art of Falling (Bulgaria)
Directed by Orlin Milchev
Produced by Geopoly
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
To the North (Romania, France, Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic)
Directed by Mihai Mincan
Produced by deFilm
Coproduced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions, Background Films
Supported by the Romanian Film Centre, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Czech Film Center
Nightwatch (Germany)
Directed by Joachim Neef
Roving Woman (Poland, USA)
Directed by Michal Chmielewski
Produced by Friends with Benefits Studio
Coproduced by Amor Vacui Films
Supported by the Polish Film Institute (PISF)
Cold as Marble (Azerbaijan, France)
Directed by Asif Rustamov
Red Shoes (Mexico, Italy)
Directed by Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser
Cloves and Carnations (Turkey, Belgium)
Directed by Bekir Bülbül
