site.btaSofia Film Fest Is On, Opening Event Honours Renowned Actors-Directors Yosif Sarchadzhiev and Kosta Bikov
The Sofia International Film Festival opened Thursday night with the screening of a new history drama, Zalog (Stake) by director Svetoslav Ovcharov, and honouring renowned Bulgarian actor-directors Yosif Sarchadzhiev and Kosta Bikov.
Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev presented the Sofia Award to Yosif Sarchadzhiev. The actor-director was introduced by film critic Prof. Bozhidar Manov who focused on the highlights in his career.
Sarchadzhiev said: "There is nothing to be afraid of. The scariest thing for me is being hard to talk. When I had the stroke, one part of my brain refused to work and I was unable to communicate with people for a very long time. Then I worked with speech therapists who taught me against the alphabet, from A to Z. More than that, I started communicating with people: with eyes, hands, few words. On top of it, I started working again. I became a director. In the years after the stroke, I did 24 productions for the stage and played in four films. Oddly, I barely move, barely speak and yet I became a director. This is how it works in Bulgaria."
The audience gave him long and loud applause.
Kosta Bikov accepted the special award of the Sofia Film Fest. He read out a poem by Valeri Petrov, dedicated to film director Rangel Valchanov and said that Valchanov is one of his "heavenly foster fathers".
In his opening remarks, festival director Stefan Kitanov said that for yet another year Sofia Film Fest reiterates its solidarity with Ukraine. He said, "The predators come to the forefront. They want to share the remaining natural resources. Nothing can stop them from taking a bigger bite. And nothing else matters to them. [...] In their pursuit for the lion's share, they redraw borders, start wars, destroy and kill. The new world order is about to sweep away values that have been built and defended over decades. In such a situation, communities are important. Group struggles should give way to the bigger goals that unite us. In his speech upon receiving the European Film Academy Award, Wim Wenders noted that when you make a film, you serve the film. A film is something greater than the director, the actor, the cameraman. It is good only if you dedicate yourself to it. The film, the high goal, to which everyone serves, is what matters," said Kitanov.
He said that this year's edition of Sofia Film Fest is focused on Bulgarian cinema. The programme has over 170 films from close to 60 countries with a third of them being from Bulgaria, which is unprecedented for the festival. Among them are 50 Bulgarian premieres.
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