TASTY CINEMA - page 9

20 selected international festivals, which the Sofia International Film Festival visits through the year: Rotterdam – January Berlin – February Istanbul – April Wiesbaden – April Cannes – May Cluj – June Moscow – June Karlovy Vary – June Sarajevo – July Yerevan – July Jerusalem – July Locarno – August Venice – August/September San Sebastian – September Warsaw – October Ghent – October London – October Cottbus – November Thessaloniki – November Talinn – November/December SIFF's director Stefan Kitanov and SIFF's deputy director and head of Sofia Meetings, Mira Staleva, travel mostly on those festivals. In some years, the list varies and the festivals in the following cities could be visited instead some of the above mentioned: Trieste, Plzen, Vilnius, Vologda, Odessa, Sankt Peterburg, London, Mar De Plata, Gijon, Lece, Bari, Adana, Torino, etc.

Sofia International Film Festival has been traveling in Bulgaria for years now and has had editions in 20 towns so far: Burgas – since 2003 Plovdiv – since 2006 Russe – first screening in an open air in 2007, Sofia Film Fest on the Road edition in 2009 Kozlodui – singular screenings since 2009 Stara Zagora – since 2010 Varna – since 2010 Blagoevgrad – since 2010 Gabrovo – since 2010 Sliven – since 2010 Dobrich – since 2010 Sozopol – since 2010 Malko Tarnovo – a special screening in 2011 Godech – a special screening in 2011 Chernomorets – a special screening in 2011 Targovishte – since 2012 Veliko Tarnovo – since 2012 Kazanlak – since 2012 Pomorie – since 2012 Lozenetz – since 2012 Tran – a special screening in 2012

Panahi's talent as a master of fascinating stories has long been recognized in the world of cinema - the director has in his collection the Venice's "Golden Lion" (for "Circles", 2000), the Berlin's "Golden Bear" (for "Taxi", 2015) and the "Golden Palm" for his latest film " It Was Just an Accident ", which big screen premiere in Bulgaria will be in the 30th anniversary Sofia Film Festival's programme. The latest film by the renowned Iranian director has been included as France's entry in the shortlist for the Oscar nominations for Best International Film. Among the Golden Globe nominations, " It Was Just an Accident " competes in four categories - for best picture, director, screenplay and film in a non-English language. The prestigious prize received by Panahi from Cate Blanchett and jury president Juliette Binoche in Cannes marks a new stage in his work, after all the hardships, restrictions, censorship and years of imprisonment in his native country Iran. " It Was Just an Accident " is Jafar Panahi 's first film since his release from prison and follows a man, his pregnant wife and their daughter who had a car crash, and this accident transforms into a series of events with important personal and societal consequences. True to his approach to film narratives, Panahi uses a deceptively simple plot twist and gradually delves into complex moral cases, critiques of social order, and the fragility of humanity and existence. Panahi is a key figure in the Iranian New Wave. His socially engaged films explore themes such as repression, social injustice and restrictions on freedom in Iran. His feature debut "The White Balloon" (1995) won the Camera d'Or at Cannes, the first major recognition for Iranian cinema at that festival. Despite his numerous arrests and bans, he continues to create films that pose sharp social and political issues. In the immediate aftermath of the latest sentence against him by the Iranian government, he dedicated several of his film's awards to " the creators who continue to shoot in silence, without support, often risking everything they have for their belief in truth and humanity ." Jafar Panahi is among the best friends of Sofia Film Festival, having been a special guest at the 2002 and 2004 editions, and in 2021 he was awarded with the Sofia Award for his contribution to the art of cinema. * * * We're WAITING for you at the #CINEMA! #30SofiaIFF