site.btaVice President Iotova Opens Bulgarian Cinema Festival in Rome

Vice President Iliana Iotova opened the 17th edition of the festival "Celebration of Bulgarian Cinema in Rome", the presidential press secretariat said Saturday.  The event is organized by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome with the support of the Bulgarian Embassy.
 
"You exist only in what you do. These words of the great [Italian film director and screenwriter] Federico Fellini show the nature of the artist - to challenge, to rebel, to convey to others with talent and mastery all that his creative soul brings," Iotova said. She especially thanked the founder of the film festival, Zhana Yakovleva, for her energy and ambition to showcase Bulgarian talent and give courage and self-confidence to Bulgarian artists.
 
"After years of stagnation, Bulgarian cinema is experiencing a renaissance, becoming more interesting and fascinating," argued the Vice President. She pointed out that the presented films deal with specific Bulgarian issues, but also raise big human themes. 

The prestigious Casa del Cinema in Villa Borghese is again hosting the festival, which will end on June 23. The programme includes Yana Titova’s Dyad, Blaga’s Lessons by Stefan Komandarev, Mother by Zornitsa Sophia, Georgi Toshev’s documentary series The Strangers, and Weimar Express by Milena Fuchedzhieva.

Earlier in the day, the Vice President visited the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Rome, which is located in the house of the great opera bass Boris Hristov. Zhanna Yakovleva, a long-time director of the institute and currently part of its team, supported Iotova's idea to create a Bulgarian national cultural institute, following the example of the Goethe Institute, Cervantes and others. "Our country is the only one in the European Union that does not have such an institution," the press secretariat of the presidential institution said.