Oscar and Palme d'Or winner at Cannes winner will be planting the first tree in the forest at Sofia Film Festival - an initiative supported by Sofia Municipality and Yettel
Audiences will have the chance to meet a special selection of Schlöndorff's films in partnership with the Goethe-Institut in March
The Sofia International Film Festival is about to celebrate its 27th edition. We invite our loyal audience to reconnect through stories that move and change. To remind ourselves of our connection to each other and nature. To reconnect together in cinemas.
We open the 27th edition of the festival with "The forest Maker" by the legendary German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff, Oscar and Palme d'Or winner at Cannes. The film conveys the inspiring story of Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo and his revolutionary method of fighting desert drought by creating tens of acres of forest on barren and abandoned land in Africa. For his work in 2018, Tony Rinaudo was awarded an alternative Nobel Prize - the Right Livelihood Prize. Rinaudo is paving the way not only to plant diverse tree species but also a path to hope. He has succeeded in restoring faith and securing the livelihoods of local communities by providing them with a method of cultivation that helps them develop in a long-term and sustainable way. The film also touches on global issues of importance such as climate change, migration, and gender equality.
In a show of commitment to the Rinaudo cause, Sofia Film Festival will plant its forest. The festival's main partners in this mission are the citizens of Sofia, represented by Sofia Municipality, providing the space for the future Sofia Film Festival Forest, and the telecommunications company Yettel. The main priority of the management of Sofia Municipality is the maintenance and expansion of the green system of the city. The start of this initiative will be immediately after the official opening of the Festival on the 16th of March 2023. As a special guest, Schlöndorff himself will plant the first tree of the SFF. Along with him, trees will be planted by the Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, and a representative of Yettel. We would like the initiative to be a reminder of our deep connection to the land and our power to be agents of change together. The Festival particularly values the active role of the Sofia Municipality and Yettel in the quest to engage the public in the global vision of sustainable development of society and the responsible attitude towards nature that we all share.
A special retrospective of Schlöndorff will be presented in the auditorium of the Goethe-Institut and will be realized in partnership with the German cultural institution.
Meet Volker Schlöndorff and his films at the 27th Sofia Film Fest in March!
The opening ceremony and the screening of "The Forest Maker" will take place on 16th March at 19:00 in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture!
We look forward to seeing you at the #CINEMA!
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