Film Festivals and Online Video Contests: News Bytes

The 8th NYBFF kicks off Tues, Feb 21 through Sat, Feb 25, 2012, at the world-renown Tribeca Cinemas.Fir the 8Th time NYBFF brings the best of the recent Bulgarian cinema to an international audience in New York City.

This year for a first time the Festival will be presented by the organizers of So Independent Film Festival - a festival solely dedicated to the American independent film in South East Europe.

The cinematic production of this Eastern European country has experienced a phenomenal revival in recent years, and has met with critical acclaim at international film festivals. Since its establishment in 2000, the NYBFF has been one of the foremost specialized independent festivals whose mission it has been to introduce those rich and moving films to a wide American audience and to increase visibility of Bulgarian filmmakers.

This year the NYBFF will present the best titles from the past two years, handpicked from more than 70 submissions, and will show both well-established cinematographers and actors, and rising stars of Bulgarian cinema. The festival will bring together a great number of actors, directors, and producers as guests.

THE PROGRAM
The Film Festival will open with Tilt, the top film of 2011. A love story caught in the tumult of the political games and social instabilities in the aftermath of 1989, it has already touched American viewers at the Seattle Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and Woodstock Film Festival, and received numerous awards and nominations. Director Victor Chouchkov and producer Borislav Chouchkov will speak about the film, along with famous Bulgarian actor Filip Avramov.

Several of the films explore the moving stories of people whose lives have been marked by the experience of homelessness and return, and a committed search for happiness. Footsteps in the Sand, a touching drama about a lost love and immigration was nominated for Best Balkan Film; The Island, starring indie star, and Palme d’or and Oscar winner Thure Lindhardt, and top model Laetitia Casta, alongside Bulgarian stars, is sure to touch a chord with many who both fear and yearn to belong. The acclaimed directors and producers of both films will participate in a special panel.

The NYBFF will also include the highly successful Love.net, inspired by true stories about looking for love on the internet; N 1, which recently won the prize for best film of 2011 at the Golden Rose Festival, and which chronicles the bloody war between two schools sharing the same building; and the magical story of Lora from Morning till Evening. The production designer of Lora from Morning till Evening will talk about the challenges of translating the magical and fun script into rich visual imagery.

Other highlights include Shelter, a dark comedy about growing up and the universal inability of parents and teenagers to communicate, recipient of awards at the Sofia International Film Festival; Sneakers, which triumphed at numerous European film festivals; and the sensational TV drama Undercover.





Resources:

www.soindependentfilmfest.com