site.bta16 Films by Various Filmmakers Screened during Third Day of 5th OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival in Sofia

The third day of the 5th OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival in Sofia saw a series of screenings, discussions, and social gatherings, the organizers said on Facebook on Wednesday. Sixteen films from a variety of filmmakers were screened, exploring themes related to culture, identity, and social issues.

The programme featured a screening of the documentary Zinema by Ukrainian director Kornii Hrytsiuk, which explores propaganda, xenophobia, and chauvinism in Russian cinema from the 1990s to the present, the organizers added.

Following the film, a panel discussion on "Cinema and Propaganda. Information Hygiene and Politics" was held in Sofia’s G8 Cultural Centre. The discussion was moderated by the festival’s director, Tetiana Staneva.

The discussion centred on topics such as the role of propaganda during wartime and the question of whether there is such a thing as good propaganda. The participants examined Russian cinema before and after the collapse of the USSR and its portrayal of conflicts such as those in Chechnya, Ukraine, and Georgia. Producer Philippe Schockweiler said that Hrytsiuk's film sheds light on the way Russian cinema is used as a propaganda tool to promote war and stir up hatred toward various peoples, including Ukrainians, Georgians, Tajiks, Americans, and Jews.

The first part of the OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival took place in Ukraine between September 8 and 15, featuring discussions, masterclasses, and screenings of various documentaries exploring social and cultural issues.