The fifth edition of the International Book&Movie Festival CineLibri was held in Sofia and another 7 Bulgarian cities between 05 and 20 October 2019. Over 30 000 spectators watched the 55 feature films, most of which national premieres, from the competition and parallel program. With numerous pre-sold screenings which provided full halls, satisfied audiences of different generations and unprecedented success, CineLibri has become one of the beloved annual events and is already an indispensable factor in the Bulgarian cultural life. The special guests and celebrities from all over the Europe also contributed to this stunning success and to the international coverage of the festival events.
On October 5, the Grand Opening of CineLibri took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. Spectacular space performance with the special participation of Mila Robert, Denis Popstoev and Georgi Peev “transferred” the audience in the “fifth dimension”, that is the dimension of culture, art and spirituality. The opening ceremony was followed by premiere screening of the movie “An Officer and a Spy” (J’accuse), directed by Roman Polanski. Crowned with the Venice Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize, the 2013 adaptation of the splendent Robert Harris bestseller has been acclaimed by critics as a “masterclass in making a historical film.” The great casting in the face of Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Melvil Poupaud, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent Perez and Emmanuelle Seigner, manages to convey the film messages regarding the Dreyfus affair from the end of the XIX century. The screening at CineLibri was the first release of the film after its official premiere at the 76-Venice International Film Festival, and it was held in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture before over 3000 spectators.
The competition programme consisted of 11 film productions and co-productions, including The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão (2019), an acclaimed “tropical melodrama” directed by Karim Aïnouz, and 5 Is the Perfect Number (2019), an adorable Italian drama-thriller based on the namesake graphic novel by Igort. Some of the movies had already been awarded prestigious prizes at movie festivals all over the world. A reputable jury consisting of Christopher Lambert, the glorious actor, David Lagercrantz, the popular Swedish writer and journalist, Radu Mihaileanu, the acclaimed French director, Loredana Cannata, the beloved Italian actress and director, and Irini Jambonas, the talented Bulgarian theatre and movie star, identified the three most original and “visionary” interpretations of literary works in the language of cinema. Christopher Lambert, in his capacity of jury’s president, bestowed the grand prize for the best literary adaptation, accompanied by an exquisite statuette, to the cinematic masterpiece of South Korea and Japan Burning (2018) adapted from the short story Burning Barn by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The awards ceremony was followed by a premiere screening of the darkly amusing psychological drama Who You Think I Am directed by Safy Nebbou, featuring one of the grande dames of French cinema – Juliette Binoche.
The audience of CineLibri 2019 met eminent writers, screenwriters, directors, actors and producers. Among them was the Anerican writer and LGBT activist Garrard Conley, the author of the book Boy Erased which has been adapted into a touching movie, directed by Joel Edgerton. The renowned Spanish writer and screenwriter Lorenzo Silva, author of the novel The Weakness of the Bolshevik, arrived in Sofia too, in order to present the eponymous film adaptation. Among the special guests of the festival was the “Israeli Faulkner” – award-winning writer, essayist and playwright A. B. Yehoshua, who presented in person his novel A Woman in Jerusalem and shared his opinion on its critically acclaimed screen version, titled The Human Resources Manager. Rita Azevedo Gomes, screenwriter and director of The Portuguese, opened the premiere screening of this magnificent historical drama based on Robert Musil’s short novel. Other honorary guests at this year’s festival edition were the renowned Swedish director Daniel Alfredson (The Girl Who Played with the Fire) and the American producer Rick Dugdale. They presented their joint project, the movie INTRIGO: The Death of an Author, obsessive thriller for guilt and revenge, inspired by the magnum opus by Håkan Nesser.
Within CineLibri 2019 the First Short Film Competition was realized. The jury was presented by Ivan Moskov (chairman), Maria Arangelova and Nikolay Mutafchiev. “Concert for a Clarinet and Orchestra” (2018) directed by Maxim Petrov, an adaptation of the story “Another Short Love Story” by Lyudmil Stanev, won the Grand Prize for Short Film inspired by work of literature. The special jury award went to the film “The Grandson of the Woman-Eater” (2019) directed by Desislava Nikolova-Besedin, an adaptation of the eponymous story by Yordanka Beleva. The movie “Over Things” (2019), directed by Ina Nikolova, won the TatraTea Special Award.
Another significant emphasis in the festival parallel programme this year was the first international Screenwriting Workshop based exclusively on outstanding underlying materials such as novels, novellas, short stories, plays and true stories. It was a great opportunity for young screenwriters and directors, coming from across the Europe, to spend time with the famous experts and lecturers Linda Seger and Julian Friedmann. Held in Sofia between 15-16 October, the workshop received entirely positive feedback and appraisals from both the participants and lecturers.
Boy Erased (Australia, USA 2018) directed by Joel Edgerton. Based on the memoir by Garrard Conley, the film tells the story of the son of a Baptist preacher, Jared, who is forced by his parents to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program. Starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, the film has Golden Globe Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Lucas Hedges) and for Best Original Song – Motion Picture (Jon Thor Birgisson).
A Picture with Yuki (Bulgaria 2019), directed by Luchezar Avramov. Based on a story of the book „East of the West: A Country in Stories” by Miroslav Penkov, it tells the story of a Bulgarian man and his Japanese wife, who have met and got married while living as immigrants in Canada. A stylish cosmopolitan drama about fate, meaningful life and continual escape of the modern man from their responsibilities.
ESAU (Rusia, Israel, UK 2019) directed by Pavel Lungin. Based on the wonderful novel by the renowned Irsaeli author Meir Shalev, the film starring Harvey Keitel and Mark Ivanir, follows the story of a 40-year-old writer who returns to his family home after half a lifetime to face the brother who stole both his love and livelihood. The story is a modern twist on the biblical story of Jacob and Esau in the book of Genesis.
The Portuguese Woman (Portugal 2018) directed by Rita Azevedo Gomes. Based on the short novel by Robert Musil, the film tells the story of the newly married wife of Lord von Ketten. She is determined to turn her husband’s family abode, an inhospitable castle on a cliff in northern Italy, into her home. The film won Golden Lady Harimaguada for Best Film at Las Palmas Film Festival 2019.
Claire Darling (France 2018) directed by Julie Bertuccelli. Based on the novel by Lynda Rutledge, the film starring Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni, tells the story of an old lady named Claire Darling who gets ready for the most special day in her life. A unique dramatic premise and a harsh, brutal ending. With all its hyperbolic fantastic touches, and its transitions between reality-hallucination, the film is a mausoleum of memory, and a cult of the object.
Casanova, Last Love (France 2019) directed by Benoît Jacquot. Based on the book by Giacomo Casanova, starring Vincent Lindon and Stacy Martin, the film tells the story of last years of Casanova’s life. Known for his taste for fun and play, Casanova arrived in London after having to go into exile. In this city of which he knows nothing, he meets several times a young courtesan, the Charpillon, which attracts him to the point of forgetting the other women.
The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão (Brazil 2019) directed by Karim Aïnouz. Based on the eponymous novel by Martha Batalha, the film tells the story of two sisters in Rio de Janeiro kept apart by a terrible lie. The film received Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes Film Festival 2019 and CineCoPro Award at Munich Film Festival 2019. It was chosen as Brazil’s representative in the Oscar race.
The Mystery of Henri Pick (France, Belgium 2019) directed by Rémi Bezançon. Based on the eponymous novel by David Foenkinos, starring Fabrice Luchini, this stunningly graceful and intelligent “dramedy” tells the story of a mysterious novel. An editor discovers a novel that she considers to be a masterpiece, in a library whose particularity is to collect the manuscripts refused by the publishers. The text is signed by Henri Pick, a Breton pizza maker who died two years earlier.
The Tobacconist (Austria, Germany 2018) directed by Nikolaus Leytner. Based on the novel by Robert Seethaler, starring Bruno Ganz, the film is a tender, heart-breaking story about one young man and his friendship with Sigmund Freud during the Nazi occupation of Vienna. A masterfully crafted work that transforms a transparent narrative of innocence, dignity and freedom into an accusation or judgement against mass silence – result of fear, stupidity or negligence, that often empowers anti-human regimes.
Burning (South Korea, Japan 2018) directed by Chang-dong Lee. Based on a mysterious story by Haruki Murakami, this hypnotically beautiful psychological drama won over 40 awards and 120 nominations, including FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes Film Festival 2018. It was also nominated for Palme d’Or /Chang-dong Lee/. “Burning” is a story similar to an allegory, fundamentally built on questions about the generational alienation, the value of traditions in the light of the faceless cosmopolitanism and modern consumerism.
5 Is the Perfect Number (Italy, Belgium, France 2019) directed by the author of the namesake graphic novel Igor Tuveri. Nominated for Best film at Venice Film Festival 2019, the movie follows Peppino, an old hit man in a ’70 Naples, forced to come back in action by the murder of his son. This tragic event also instigated reflections on life and on the society in all the characters. Spectacular performances of Toni Servillo, Valeria Golino and Carlo Buccirosso!
Voices from Chernobyl (2016) – based on the book by Svetlana Alexievitch, this film does not deal with Chernobyl, but rather with the world of Chernobyl. Directed by Pol Cruchten.
