One of the films is the Oscar-winning feature animated film “Flow” by Gints Zilbalodis, which you will see in its premiere on March 22 in Hall 1 of the NPC, following the award ceremony.
Sofia Film Fest stays true to the tradition of presenting all the films nominated for the LUX Award to the audience in partnership with the European Parliament.
Four of these films can be seen FREE OF CHARGE at the French Institute – Slaveykov Hall on March 11 and 12. They are the Belgian-Swedish coproduction Julie Keeps Quiet by Leonardo van Dijl, the documentaries Intercepted (Canada-France-Ukraine) by Oksana Karpovych and Dahomey (France-Senegal-Benin) by Mati Diop, as well as the coproduction between Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, and Bulgaria Animal by Sofia Exarchou. The fifth film – the Oscar-winning feature animated film Flow by Gints Zilbalodis – will be presented with screenings for the LUX Award at the beginning of April in Sofia, and similar events will be available to cinephiles in Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna.
The LUX Audience Award is determined by the viewers’ evaluations –
YOU CAN VOTE HERE for each of the five films!
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Leonardo van Dijl’s feature debut Julie Keeps Quiet premiered as part of the “Critics’ Week” program at Cannes ’24. The main character of this story is the most promising talent at a prestigious tennis academy, and her life changes when the shocking news of a young athlete’s suicide disrupts the club’s daily routine. After Julie’s coach becomes the subject of a police investigation, she decides to keep silent even as others share disturbing stories. The film skillfully recreates the young woman’s overwhelming internal struggle. The screening is on March 11 at 6:30 P.M.
Oksana Karpovych’s documentary Intercepted was awarded an Honorable Mention by the Ecumenical Jury at Berlinale ’24. At the heart of her narrative are numerous telephone conversations intercepted by the Ukrainian intelligence service following the Russian army’s invasion of the country. Soldiers call their loved ones and speak of the places they loot, the prisoners they torture, and the corpses they witness. The footage—which serves as a direct testimony to their words—conveys both the devastation inflicted on Ukrainian territory and the unwavering determination of ordinary Ukrainians to continue with their lives amid the ruins. The screening is on March 11 at 8:30 P.M.
Awarded the grand “Golden Bear” from Berlinale ’24, the hybrid documentary Dahomey by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop ingeniously builds a bridge between the past, present, and future. At the end of the 19th century, hundreds of art objects from the West African kingdom of Dahomey were looted by French colonial troops. In 2021, 26 of these lost royal artifacts were returned to the Republic of Benin, within which Dahomey was located. Mati Diop has firmly established herself as a representative of a new wave in African culture. Her feature film “Atlantics” won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2019. For her, cinema is a tool for rethinking—restoring lost images, challenging degrading colonial representations, and discovering new heroes and heroines. The screening is on March 12 at 6:30 P.M.
According to Variety, Sofia Exarchou’s second film Animal is a “sensory portrait of life amid glamorous parties and intrigue at a Greek resort.” The plot follows a group of artists on an island preparing for the bustling tourist season. They are forced to contend with grim realities as the sultry Mediterranean nights turn violent—but the show must go on! The film has won the “Golden Alexander” at the international competition in Thessaloniki, a team award, as well as a shared prize for Best Actress (awarded to Dimitra Vlagopoulou, who also received an award at Locarno). Nominated for Best Film in Valladolid, Sarajevo, Gothenburg, and at the Balkan Competition of the 28th Sofia Film Fest, the work was further honored with the “Avant-garde Award” in Vancouver. The screening is on March 12 at 8:30 P.M.
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SEE YOU at the #CINEMA!
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