Music in the spotlight at Cinemania - the oldest film panorama in Bulgaria

Children's Cinemania program, held for the fifth time, gives young people under 18 a chance to become true professionals.

published on 11/13/24 11:47 AM

Author: Vessela Krasteva

Scene from the film "Quand vient l'automne"

Photo: kinomania.bg

The 38th edition of the Cinemania (Kinomania) Film Festival will kick off in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia tonight, November 13.

The cinematic panorama opens with the newest feature film by director Milko Lazarov, Tarika, which premiered worldwide last month in London as part of the official selection at one of the world’s biggest film festivals – BFI London. This film project received international funding and was co-produced with ZDF/ARTE, 42film (Germany), and AMOUR FOU (Luxembourg).

"Tarika" opens the 38th edition of Cinemania in Sofia

"The Cinemania Festival this year is all about music!" says Hristo Hristozov, the event’s chief selector. The program includes documentary and feature films dedicated to Maria Callas, Chet Baker, Joe Bonamassa, and the iconic Irish band Kneecap.

The traditional French Film Festival is continuing as part of Cinemania, and for the first time, this year’s edition will also highlight Italian cinema with a dedicated "Italian Film Festival." In connection with this, two distinguished guests are visiting Bulgaria: Andrea Segre, the director of the Italian-Belgian-Bulgarian co-production Berlinguer: The Great Ambition that opened the 19th Rome Film Festival, and Stefania Sandrelli, a star of Italian cinema who first gained fame with Divorce Italian Style, starring alongside Marcello Mastroianni.

This year marks the fifth edition of the so-called Children’s Cinemania.

"This competitive film festival is designed for children and young people aged 8 to 18 to support their creativity in the art of film. The goal is to give kids a chance to see their creations on the big screen and feel the support of the audience," said Marina Nikolova, chief organizer of the event, in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

Young screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, and directors can participate by creating and submitting their own short films of up to five minutes, in the spirit of early silent films from the era of Charlie Chaplin – without dialogue. Submissions can be either animated or live action as the films must be submitted by November 20 to detska.kinomania@gmail.com with the subject line "Children’s Cinemania 2024".

"For the animation category, we only accept films made with stop-motion animation, without computer processing. The idea is for kids to create beyond their screens, crafting their own sets, characters, and everything needed for their animation. The films should be no longer than five minutes, with minimal dialogue to emphasize cinema as a visual storytelling art. The theme chose by us "Peace" is optional, but any films exploring this theme will receive special attention," adds Nikolova.

Previous edition of the Children's Cinemania

Nikolova explains that they interpret "Peace" in its broadest sense. "This theme offers parents a great opportunity to explain to their children what peace means today. The more we talk about it, the more it will become part of our lives," she says.

It’s a dream for the festival to eventually include participation from Bulgarian children living abroad and kids from other countries:

"Although the festival is currently for children residing in Bulgaria, we’d be delighted to receive submissions from Bulgarian children living abroad. We’re working to expand the festival internationally, and we hope to announce exciting news about this next year. The important thing is that children engage in creative activities, and cinema, the seventh art, encompasses all others – music, dance, drawing, photography. By learning to create and express themselves through cinema, children absorb elements of all these arts, which is vital for personal growth and connecting with others," shares Nikolova.

During the 4th Children's Cinemania at Lumiere Cinema Hall

This year’s highlight event will take place on November 30 at 11 a.m. at Lumiere Cinema in Sofia, where the top ten animated and ten live action films selected by the jury will be screened. The children’s awards will be presented in various categories, with the Best Film winner receiving a special prize – a video camera, provided by the organization NIM Animations. All participating children will receive certificates and, above all, inspiration for their future artistic endeavors, says Marina Nikolova.

The 38th edition of the Cinemania Festival will run until December 1, organized by the National Palace of Culture and the I Have an Idea Foundation, with support from the Ministry of Culture, the National Film Center, and the Sofia Municipality. The festival is part of Sofia’s Cultural Events Calendar for 2024.

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Photos: nfc.bg, Reuters, BGNES

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