The tradition of the unique book&movie festival CineLibri started in 2013 when the iconic book&movie series „Amarcord“ has already gained wide popularity in Bulgaria. Uniting confessions, memoars, impressions and essays by the most famous film directors and writers in the world, it had deservedly been awarded „Bronze Lion“ by the Bulgarian Book Publishers’ Association for best publishing project.
Conceived with faith in quality literature and the magic of cinema, which breathes new life to literary works, the festival easily found its place among the cultural events in Sofia. The mission of this impressive event is to contribute to the education and satisfaction of good taste in different areas of art by offering sophisticated visual experience that encourages interest in reading. The concept of CineLibri is based on the premise that the most significant world film achievements result from quality scripts based on books, and ensure a perfect symbiosis of content, show and technical implementation.
Over the years CineLibri met Bulgarian audience with many remarkable artists – world-class filmmakers and actors including Krzysztof Zanussi, Wim Wenders, David Lynch, Gerard Depardieu, Andrei Konchalovsky, Volker Schlöndorff, Jean-Claude Carriere and many others. At the invitation of the organizers of the festival since 2013 Bulgaria was visited by a number of writers and directors who had achieved international fame and recognition. Among these celebrities are names such as Frederic Beigbeder, Jiri Menzel, Margaret Mazzantini, Sergio Castellitto, Douglas Kennedy, Laura Esquivel, Angel Wagenstein, Paolo Giordano, Katherine Pancol, Herman Koch, Quim Monzó, Johan Theorin, Katarina Mazetti, Guillermo Martinez and many others.
The special edition of CineLibri in 2015, crowned the 25th anniversary of the company organizer Colibri Publishers – an event which reinvigorated the movie forum and contributed to its popularity beyond the country boundaries. While between 2013 and 2014 the festival events were held exclusively in the Bulgarian capital, in 2015 they were „exported“ in Varna and Plovdiv too, and in 2016 CineLibri took place even in several more Bulgarian cities.
Film screenings, the relevant parallel events and artistic surprises are conducted in the best art halls and movie theaters in the capital and the country. The festival has the support of all major cultural institutions in the country, as well as a number of international cultural organizations. The events are covered by the most influential Bulgarian media, including TV and radio broadcasts, online platforms, print media and others. The first honorary statuette CineLibri was handed within the opening ceremony of the festival in 2016, which was held on 5 of October in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture. A substantial part of festival events usually take place with the support of our partners from Cervantes Institute, French Cultural Institute, Czech Centre in Sofia and others.
Each screening is traditionally accompanied by a special event with the appropriate format. The festival gradually strengthened its position as an annual event which offers creative discussions, original happenings, educational workshops and literary premieres along with the festival screenings, featuring prominent cinema experts and literary critics. Representatives of other arts, including authors of original multimedia performances, dancing and theater performances, masterful art installations and others usually join the presentations of the books and the corresponding screen adaptations.
Since its founding in 2013, the festival aims at acquainting the audience with the latest achievements in European and world book&movie life and offers a complete and unforgettable experience, immersing viewers and readers into the atmosphere, which predisposed to creation of undisputed literary masterpieces and their film adaptations. The selection of CineLibri encompasses full-length feature films – screen adaptations of literary works, both classics and contemporary novels. A considerable part of the films are national premieres and world film premieres.
CineLibri is kind of a reverence for the ardent lovers of books and films inspired by them. Each year it attracts in Bulgaria world renowned artists, cultural analysts and public figures, including writers, screenwriters, directors, cameramen, actors and musicians, with the purpose of promotion the landmark achievements in the field of literature and cinema and dissemination of new European and global trends in the synergy of arts.