SOFIA: Public support for film was finally unlocked in 2019 and the Bulgarian National Film Center resumed its regular activities. This became possible after the harmonisation of the Film Industry Act with the Communication on State Aid for Films and Other Audiovisual Works (2013/C 332/01), the Commission Regulation No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 and the Commission Regulation No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013. Most of the nearly 90 agreements signed between the national institution and producers with closed budgets by the end of 2018 started to take effect and a considerable number of films were shot.

SOFIA: The Bulgarian National Film Center allotted 1,987,397 EUR / 3,887,000 BGN at its second session in 2019. Nine fiction films, including two with higher budgets, three with lower budgets, one debut feature and three short films, will receive production funding. Six minority coproductions will be supported with 459,906 EUR / 899,500 BGN.

SOFIA: Jacqueline Wagenstein, working at Colibri Publishers since 2005 and founder of the International Book&Movie Festival CineLibri, spoke with FNE about its unique content and latest successes. The festival, which is focused on book adaptations, is running simultaneously in Sofia and several big Bulgarian cities from 5 to 20 October 2019.

VARNA: Kristina Grozeva’s and Petar Valchanov’s The Father won the Golden Rose award of the 37th Golden Rose National Film Festival (28 September - 4 October 2018). The film also received the Danny Lerner Award offered by Nu Boyana, including services equal to the amount of 50,000 EUR along with 5,000 EUR in cash for the development of the director’s next feature project. Grozeva, Valchanov and their co-scriptwriter Decho Taralezhkov also received the best script award, and Ivan Barnev and Ivan Savov received best actor awards for the same film. The Father won the Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival earlier this year.

VARNA: A total of 13 feature and 17 short films will screen in the official competition of the 37th Golden Rose National Film Festival, running in Varna from 27 September to 4 October 2019. Five of the feature films in competition are first films.

SOFIA: Stefan Komandarev has finished his fifth feature film Rounds, a Bulgarian/Serbian coproduction supported by Eurimages. It is a sequel to the director’s previous Bulgarian/German/Macedonian film Directions (Argo Film, Aktis Film Production, Sector), selected for Un Certain Regard in 2017.

SOFIA: The Bulgarian National Film Center decided to allot 2,393,250 EUR / 4,786,500 BGN at its first session in 2019. Nine films, including two with high budgets, three with low budgets, one debut and three shorts, will receive production funding. Nine projects will also get development support.

SOFIA: European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel and world-famous director Wim Wenders, Ambassador of the SaferInternet4EU campaign, participated in a public debate on the improvement of the Digital Single Market regulations on 5 April, 2019 in Sofia. Part of the wider promotional EU campaign, the all-day event was hosted by the Commission's representation in Bulgaria, which involved in it young internet users, film professionals and local media.

SOFIA: Mostly known for his documentaries, the Bulgarian director Svetoslav Draganov started shooting his debut feature Waterfall CEO on 23 March 2019. The film is a Bulgarian/Romanian coproduction supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Romanian Film Centre.

SOFIA: Marius Olteanu’s debut feature Monsters. won the Grand Prix in the international competition of the 23rd Sofia International Film Festival, held from 7 to 17 March 2019.