15
Feb
2023

The world-famous director Bille August will be a special guest of the 27th Sofia International Film Festival


August will present his film "The Kiss", an adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novel "An Impatient Heart"

The Danish filmmaker is visiting the festival for the second time after his arrival in 2019 when he received the Sofia Municipality Award and the FIPRESCI Platinum 90 Award. Bille August has over 30 titles in his filmography as a director, 13 of which he has also written, and most of his works have a worthy literary work at their core. "The novel is an insightful study of morality and ethics," August is adamant. His latest film, "The Kiss," is again built on a literary inspiration, Stefan Zweig's novel "An Impatient Heart."

The film is set in Denmark in 1913 and follows the dramatic relationship between cavalry officer Anton, a noble and conscientious young man, and Edith, the gentle and beautiful daughter of a nobleman, who has ended up in a wheelchair after a terrible accident. The young officer has strong feelings for Edith but is unsure if they are born of compassion or the beginning of true love. In his attempt to do the right thing, Anton becomes entangled in promises and lies to those around him, especially the young woman...

"This film's story is unique in that it reveals some unfamiliar aspects of the human psyche and touches on a series of timeless moral issues framed in a moving, intimate story about the meeting of two young souls," says the director in an interview about his new film.

Bille August was born on 9 November 1948 in Brede, Denmark. He studied photography in Stockholm and later graduated from the Danish Film School, majoring in cinema. "Pele the Conqueror (1987, Palme d'Or and Oscar for Foreign Language Film) and "The Best Intentions" (1992, Palme d'Or), based on a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman, are his most successful films. His other well-known films include "The House of the Spirits" (1993), "Jerusalem" (1996), "Les Misérables" (1998), and "Night Train to Lisbon" (2013). 

Bille August's visit is in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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