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The 29th Sofia International Film Festival is welcoming its audience from March 13 to 31, 2025. The preliminary program kicks off on March 10 at the Czech Cultural Center with a retrospective of one of the festival’s special guests – Bohdan Sláma. The SIFF program in Sofia continues until April 4.
The festival is organized by Art Fest under the patronage of the Sofia Municipality, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center, and the Creative Europe MEDIA program of the European Union, in partnership with the National Palace of Culture, various cultural institutions, sponsors, partners, and friends.
In 2025, the festival program will include 171 feature-length fiction, documentary, and animated films, as well as a special selection of 20 short films from 58 countries of 5 continents! Screenings will take place in cinema halls, where audiences—united despite their differences—can watch these specially selected films on the big screen and meet many of their creators. We are also continuing our tradition of presenting a special online selection of films – in 2025 we are once again partnering with Neterra.tv/plus so that audiences across the country can watch a part of the festival program.
We eagerly await in Sofia the filmmakers of the competition programs, who will personally present their films to the Bulgarian audience in cinema halls, as well as many world-renowned guests with their latest films. Sofia Film Fest in Plovdiv will be held from March 21 to April 6, the Varna edition from March 21 to 29, and Sofia Film Fest On The Coast in Burgas from March 20 to 28.
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This year’s festival places a special emphasis on Bulgarian cinema. The program will showcase a record number of Bulgarian fiction, documentary, and short films, as well as international co-productions involving Bulgaria – over 60 in total. Almost 50 of these films will have their world or Sofia premieres at the festival. The feature films are 22, 12 of them are premieres; 17 documentary premieres; 16 short films, 9 of them – premieres; 11 co-productions, 10 of them – premieres!
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The 29th Sofia Film Fest officially opens on March 13 in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture with the premiere of the narrative film Bet by director Svetoslav Ovcharov—an auteur known for his vivid and engaging portrayals of factual episodes from our history, and for embodying the turbulent characters of the powerful figures from the National Revival and the Liberation Wars who helped build the new, long-awaited Bulgaria. In the leading roles of this historical drama, we will see Assen Blatechki, Zahari Baharov, and the Romanian actress Ofelia Popii. Also featuring are Deyan Donkov, Ivan Savov, Stefan Mavrodiev, and others. The film is a co-production between Bulgaria and Romania, supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center.
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One of the emblematic names in Bulgarian cinema, actor Iossif Surchadjiev, will receive the Sofia Award from the Sofia Municipality for his contribution to the art of cinema. The plaque is crafted by the renowned sculptor Georgi Chapkanov – Chapa.
This award will also be presented to the legendary Croatian director Rajko Grlić, one of the festival’s special guests. He will showcase several of his most significant works, as well as his latest film It All Ends Here, a co-production between Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Turkey. Rajko Grlić will also conduct a master class as part of Sofia Meetings.
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In 2025 we celebrate 100 years since the establishment of the International Association of Film Journalists. Since 2015, the special FIPRESCI Platinum Award has been given to iconic filmmakers such as Andrzej Wajda, Margarethe von Trotta, Alan Parker, Ken Loach, Ettore Scola, Jean-Jacques Annaud, and Sally Potter. Sofia Film Fest is one of the festivals where this award has been presented since 2016. In Bulgaria, it has been awarded to directors Béla Tarr (2016), Goran Paskaljević (2017), Ildikó Enyedi (2018), Bille August (2019), Agnieszka Holland (2020), Terry Gilliam and Cristi Puiu (2021), and Malgorzata Szumowska (2024). At the 29th Sofia Film Fest, two honorees will receive the FIPRESCI Platinum 100: Maestro Prof. Georgi Dyulgerov—one of the most emblematic creators of Bulgarian cinema—and the Oscar-nominated Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof. Both will present their latest films and conduct special master classes for cinephiles in Sofia!
The special award of Sofia Film Festival will be presented in 2025 to director Kosta Bikov, who has dedicated more than five decades to the magic of cinema, as well as to two directors who have left an important mark on European cinema – Bohdan Sláma and Szabolcs Hajdu. In partnership with the Czech Cultural Center in Sofia and the “Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Institute Sofia”, we have prepared special retrospectives that will remarkably enrich the festival program, with both directors personally presenting their latest films to the Bulgarian audience.
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For the 23rd time, an international jury will determine the Grand Prize in the competition for a debut or second narrative film, “Sofia – City of Film”, sponsored by the Sofia Municipality. The jury is chaired by French director Patricia Mazuy, accompanied by actress Jaana Saarinen (Finland) and directors Pia Marais (South Africa), Veit Helmer (Germany), and Andrey M. Paunov (Bulgaria).
The program includes 12 films:
* Windless – Bulgaria–Italy, directed by Pavel G. Vesnakov;
* Winter in Sokcho – France–Korea, directed by Koya Kamura;
* Cat’s Cry – Serbia–Canada–Croatia, directed by Sanja Zivkovic;
* Honeymoon – Ukraine, directed by Zhanna Ozirna;
* On the Edge – Belgium, directed by Sophie Muselle and Guérin van de Vorst;
* Hallway to Nowhere – Croatia, directed by Zvonimir Munivrana;
* Nobody Wants to Shoot a Woman – USA, directed by Kerry Ann Enright;
* Eternity Package – Bulgaria–Italy, directed by Magdelena Ilieva;
* Flesh – Bulgaria, directed by Dimitar Stoyanovich;
* Under the Grey Sky – Poland, directed by Mara Tamkovich;
* Die Like a Man – USA, directed by Eric Nazarian;
* Rock Bottom – Spain–Poland, directed by Maria Trenor.
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The Balkan Competition features 12 of the region’s most successful films:
* The Erl-King – Serbia–Bulgaria, directed by Goran Radovanović;
* iDEA – Turkey–Romania–France, directed by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu;
* Waterdrop – Albania–Italy–Romania, directed by Robert Budina;
* The Tower of Strength – Montenegro–Serbia–Croatia–Germany, directed by Nikola Vukčević;
* The Flying Meatball Maker – Turkey–Bulgaria–Germany, directed by Rezan Yeşilbaş;
* Luna Park – Albania–Italy–Croatia–Greece–Kosovo, directed by Florenc Papas;
* Mother Mara – Serbia–Slovenia–Switzerland–Bosnia and Herzegovina–Montenegro–Luxembourg, directed by Mirjana Karanovic;
* Wishbone – Greece–France–Germany–Cyprus, directed by Penny Panayotopoulou;
* And the Rest Will Follow – Turkey–Bulgaria–Romania, directed by Pelin Esmer;
* Traffic – Romania–Belgium–Netherlands, directed by Teodora Ana Mihai;
* Triumph – Bulgaria–Greece, directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov;
* Giannis in the Cities – Greece, directed by Eleni Alexandrakis.
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Impressive documentary films, with premieres at Sundance and Berlin 2025, in Amsterdam, Toronto, Thessaloniki, and other film forums—and focusing on important contemporary themes — are included in the Documentary Competition:
* GEN_ – Italy–France–Switzerland, directed by Gianluca Matarrese;
* Тhe Children of Popodia – France–Georgia, directed by Sofia Babluani;
* Yalla, Baba! – Lebanon–Netherlands–Belgium, directed by Angie Obeid;
* Moria Six – Germany, directed by Jennifer Mallmann;
* Leo Records: Strictly for Our Friends – Romania, directed by Ioana Grigore;
* Bad Coaches – Italy, directed by Roberto Orazi;
* From Ground Zero – Palestine–France–Qatar–Jordan, produced by Rashid Masharawi and Laura Nikolov;
* Paul – Canada, directed by Denis Côté;
* Dear Beautiful Beloved – Austria, directed by Juri Rechinsky;
* Silent Observers – Bulgaria–Germany, directed by Eliza Petkova;
* Frida – USA–Mexico, directed by Carla Gutiérrez;
* The Man with a Thousand Faces – France–Poland, directed by Sonia Kronlund.
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The 23rd Competition for Bulgarian Short Films will present 12 films selected by a jury composed of directors Konstantin Bojanov, Radostina Neykova, and Orlin Milchev (the 2024 award recipient). For the sixth consecutive year, the award—worth €9,500 (comprising a €1,500 cash prize and €8,000 in post-production services)—is provided by Doli Media Studio. Here are the selected films:
* Chapter 6, directed by Ivaylo Minov, 20 min.
* The Weed’s Gardener, directed by Assia Kovanova, 12 min.
* Dear You, directed by Tanya Bozhinova, 8 min.
* Echo, directed by Angel Radev, 29 min.
* Nicole, directed by Elena Toncheva, 23 min.
* Posterity, directed by Emil Alexandrov, 20 min.
* The Spiral Between Sound and Silence, directed by Kristina Georgieva, 20 min.
* Silt, directed by Katya Simeonova, 23 min.
* What Stays After, directed by Dimitris Georgiev, 20 min.
* Dark Room, directed by Julian Rachev, 11 min.
* Hawaii, directed by Radoslav Kamburov, 13 min.
* Metamorphosis – Bulgaria–Italy, directed by Tommaso Mazzarini and Vesselin Nedelchev, 20 min.
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For the first time at the 29th SIFF, in partnership with the British Council, we present a special selection of films and discussions focused on countering disinformation and promoting social cohesion in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to films, the “The Engine of Truth” program includes a master class with Mohammad Rasoulof and discussions with Antidote producer Vivien Jones and The Editorial Office director Roman Bondarchuk.
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Special guests at the festival will include Oscar-winner Danis Tanović, who will present his latest film My Late Summer; Konstantin Bojanov with his film The Shameless; Cannes ‘24, which won the Best Actress award in the competition program Un Certain Regard; Uberto Pasolini with The Return; Patricia Mazuy with her latest film Visiting Hours; actress Jaana Saarinen, who will present Mika Kaurismäki’s film Long Good Thursday; Pia Marais with her Locarno Golden Leopard–nominated film Transamazonia (presented in partnership with the Goethe Institute); Doron Eran with his new film 10 Kilos; Xawery Żuławski with his audience hit Kulej. All That Glitters Isn't Gold (presented in partnership with the Polish Institute – Sofia); and Tudor Giurgiu with the festival’s sports gala Nasty dedicated to the brilliant, controversial, and artistic Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase (presented in partnership with the Romanian Institute – Sofia). Among the announced festival premieres are Cannes award-winners All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia, Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, Ferzan Özpetek’s new film Diamonds (presented in partnership with the Italian Institute – Sofia), and Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl.
Special screenings at the 29th Sofia Film Fest include the premiere of director Nikolay Urumov’s film Nothing Can Stop You, presentations of the films Schindler Space Architect by Valentina Ganeva, The World Will Tremble by Lior Geller, Eastern Western by Biliana and Marina Grozdanova, John Vardar Against the Galaxy by Goce Cvetanovski, The Black Sea by Derrick Harden and Crystal Moselle (produced by Izabella Tzenkova), as well as screenings of The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner – the premiere of the digital version of Stefan Komandarev’s film, 15 years after The Oscars – and Sarah McCarthy’s film After the Rain: Putin's Stolen Children Come Home in a special event with a discussion, in partnership with the embassies of the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Canada for Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova.
The festival press center for the 29th SIFF will be located at the Polish Institute. In addition to providing opportunities for informal meetings between the audience and festival guests, public discussions with some of the festival’s special guests will be organized there. The Sofia Film Festival 2025 festival center will be Macondo Café Bar.
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For the third consecutive year, the festival program will include the TEEN Competition, featuring the following films:
* Kyuka: Before Summer’s End – Greece–North Macedonia, directed by Kostis Charamountanis;
* Yasmeen’s Element – USA–Pakistan–Portugal, directed by Amman Abbasi;
* The Story of Frank and Nina – Italy–Switzerland, directed by Paola Randi;
* Little Trouble Girls – Slovenia–Italy–Croatia–Serbia, directed by Urška Djukić;
* Panopticon – Georgia–France–Italy–Romania, directed by George Sikharulidze;
* Family Therapy – Slovenia–Italy–Croatia–Norway–Serbia, directed by Sonja Prosenc;
* Toxic – Lithuania, directed by Saulė Bliuvaitė.
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As tradition dictates, Sofia Film Fest presents the finalists for the Audience LUX Award in partnership with the European Parliament in Brussels and the EP Office in Bulgaria. This year’s finalists are Animal by Sofia Exarchou, Dahomey by Mati Diop, Julie Keeps Quiet by Leonardo van Dijl, Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych, Flow by Gints Zilbalodis. Each of these films will have a special screening in Sofia followed by a discussion. The Audience LUX Award is also determined by viewers’ ratings – YOU CAN VOTE HERE for each of the five films!
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The 22nd edition of Sofia Meetings will take place between March 19 and 30, 2025. Sofia Meetings is Bulgaria’s only professional event recognized by the global film industry and collaborates with the world’s most significant forums such as Cannes Marche/Producers Network, CineMart, Locarno Pro, San Sebastian Industry, Film Independence, EAVE, ACE, Crossroads, Europa Distribution, CICAE, MIDPOINT, MFI, Europa Cinemas, and many others. Sofia Meetings presents projects for narrative films and TV series to a professional audience of experienced producers, investors, sales agencies, and distributors, as well as films in post-production to sales agents, distributors, and selectors from leading global forums. Projects launched at Sofia Meetings include works by names such as Cristi Puiu, Álvaro Brechner, Jasmila Zbanic, Cristian Mungiu, Kornél Mundruczó, Stefan Arsenijevic, Levan Koguashvili, Tolga Karaçelik, Lili Horvát, Nathalie Biancheri, Iglika Trifonova, Stephan Komandarev, Kamen Kalev, Konstantin Bojanov, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Nadejda Koseva, Drago Sholev, Andrey Paunov, Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova, and many others. In parallel with the main program, there are professional and educational modules that in recent years have contributed to the development of Bulgarian and regional producers. The festival program will feature some of the projects presented at Sofia Meetings in recent years – 24 in total, including: The Shameless by Konstantin Bojanov, Windless by Pavel Vesnakov, Triumph by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Silent Observers by Eliza Petkova, Eternity Package by Magdelena Ilieva, The Pleasure Is Mine by Sacha Amaral, Die Like a Man by Eric Nazarian, Luna Park by Florenc Papas, Little Trouble Girls by Urška Djukić, Panopticon by George Sikharulidze, The Wheels of Heaven by Ben Charles Edwards, Tarika by Milko Lazarov, Geri’s Wish by Tonislav Hristov, Gundi – A Legend of Love by Dimitar Dimitrov, and others.
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The visual theme for the 29th Sofia Film Festival is made by proof. The clip was produced with the assistance of ProCamera Rental, UFO, NATFIZ “Krastyo Sarafov”, and Positive Possum.
Sofia Film Fest is produced with the support of UNIQA Insurance Company – Bulgaria, Grand Hotel Sofia, Bulgaria Air, Moto-Pfohe Rent a Car, and the Audience LUX Award.
Festival partners include the British Council, Italian Cultural Institute, French Cultural Institute, Polish Institute, Goethe Institute, Romanian Cultural Institute, Austrian Cultural Forum, Czech Center – Sofia, List Institute – Hungarian Cultural Institute, Instituto Cervantes, Doli Media Studio, Maison de MITKO DAMOV, hotels Sveta Sofia, Rosslyn, V1, Intercontinental, and many other organizations, media outlets, and friends.
Sofia Film Festival is made possible with the financial support of the Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center, and the Creative Europe MEDIA program of the European Union.
We Look Forward to Seeing You at the #CINEMA!
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* Festival news to date can be found HERE.