It would be hard to find a film event more affected by the pandemic and political climate than the Sofia International Film Festival, whose 26th edition kicks off today and will take place until 31 March. After a 2020 edition cancelled days before it was supposed to begin and a 2021 edition drastically limited by Bulgaria’s cinema attendance regulations, this year’s offering is kicking off just as Europe is left reeling from Russia’s war on Ukraine, which the festival strongly condemns. The festival team have sent a strong message of solidarity to the Ukrainian people, and to directors Oleh Sentsov, who was supposed to be a jury member but is now fighting in the Ukrainian army, and Valentyn Vasyanovich. Their most recent productions, Rhino [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] and Reflection [+lire aussi :
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interview : Valentyn Vasyanovych
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12 films, all first or second features, will be competing for the festival's top award. There’s Svetoslav Draganov's Humble [+lire aussi :
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The Balkan Competition also consists of 12 titles: Dragomir Sholev's Fishbone [+lire aussi :
interview : Dragomir Sholev
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interview : Alina Grigore
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interview : Radu Jude
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interview : Radu Muntean
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interview : Stefan Arsenijević
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interview : Srđan Dragojević
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interview : Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
interview : Gracija Filipovic
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interview : Blerta Basholli
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interview : Luana Bajrami
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interview : Dina Duma, Antonia Belazel…
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interview : Araceli Lemos
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Another 12 features stand a chance at winning the documentary competition’s awards: Eliza Petkova's Mayor, Shepherd, Widow, Dragon (Bulgaria), Elitsa Georgieva's Our Quiet Place (France/Bulgaria), Francesco Montagner's Brotherhood [+lire aussi :
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interview : Francesco Montagner
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interview : Jonas Poher Rasmussen
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interview : Jean Libon et Yves Hinant
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fiche film] (France/Germany/Turkey), Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop's Ostrov - Lost Island [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (Switzerland), Renato Borrayo Serrano's Life of Ivanna [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (France/UK/Japan), Andre Bonzel's Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By (France), Ruslan Fedotov's Where Are We Headed? (Belarus/Russia), and Emmanuel Lisha's Shark Bone (Canada).

The 26th edition of festival is also offering up a focus on films by Bulgarian women directors. Works by Adela Peeva, Iglika Trifonova (who’s also the main jury president), Zornitsa Sofia, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Nadezhda Koseva, Kristina Grozeva, Maya Vitkova, Ralitsa Petrova, Elitsa Petkova, Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova, and Yana Titova are all set for the showcase.