Todor Mattsanov's new film "Block" resembles a jigsaw puzzle - the script is built from a series of intersecting stories that unfold in the different spaces of a Sofia apartment block.
"The story was born during the pandemic, but it was not inspired by it," Matsanov says of his film. "There are memories and real events in the script, but it is pure fiction. The pandemic is just a backdrop of our lives in the period we were filming. The idea was to overcome reality, especially in times of crisis - and we sought salvation in the unreal, in fiction, and (maybe) in love. To invent and realize a film in that period was a complete fantasy!"
"'Block' begins and ends with Iva and Victor's dreams, and their story is a testament to the well-known fact - when someone feels real strongly, there are no limits to it. "I don't imagine 'the block' in physical and social terms, but as a metaphor for a community that is stuck, that has lost its way," Mattsanov adds. - The characters are very different, as indeed are the inhabitants of a 20-story Sofia block... There are about 15 main characters in the film and none of them is the main one, it's a mosaic of characters. The selection of the actors was not difficult. The real surprise came from the young, unfamiliar faces participating for the first time in a bigger project! Among the actors involved in "Block" are Dimitar Nikolov, Katrin Vassileva, Dimo Alexiev, Daria Simeonova, Dimitar Krumov, Anton Dimitrachkov, Borislav Chuchkov, Stefan Denolyubov, Lyubomir Neykov. The film is a production of Phoenix Productions Ltd (Francesco Frattini) and A Plus Films Ltd (Hristo Dermendzhiev).
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Borimir Ilkov-Bono's feature debut "Anna" is based on a screenplay by Teodora Markova, Nevena Goranova, Georgi Ivanov, and Teodora Doncheva. The story follows a lonely investigative journalist who wants to get pregnant from a donor. Unexpectedly, her work takes her to a completely unfamiliar environment and she is haunted by serious life twists. "The themes that this film deals with are related to the problems of contemporary society: loneliness, the lack of a family environment, the social and ethnic divide between people," says the director. - The story is told through various situations in which a young woman who wants to become a mother finds herself. Her work as a journalist confronts her with the lifestyle and relationships of a Roma family. Due to the events that follow, Anna has to make decisions about her future child as well as about her work."
"Anna" stars Radina Kardjilova, Nedka Yordanova, Krasimira Fatima-Leila Karabulut, Valeri Lekov, Stanka Kalcheva, Plamena Getova, Vasil Binev, Yordan Rasin, Dobrin Dosev, Veselin Mezekliev. Produced by Geopolis in co-production with Dolly Media Studio, Transformers, and Kinolite, with the support of the NFC.
"My experience on the set over the years has confronted me with a variety of situations, - says the director. - What I will remember from this film is the confidence the producers, writers, crew, and actors had in my directorial decisions. My desire was to create a collaborative working atmosphere where each of us was confident that we were doing the best for this film. I hope we have succeeded."
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