The sixth international Sofia Film Fest 2002 opened March 14 in Hall 1 at the National Palace of Culture with Oscar-nominated film of the Bosnian director Danis Tanovic “No Man’s Land”. A joint production of France, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain and Slovenia, the film has been awarded Golden Globe 2001, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for best foreign-language film, Kan 2001 for best screenplay. No Man’s Land is set in 1993 during the war in Bosnia. It is about two soldiers enemies who happen to be together in one trench. The Bosnian soldier Chiki and his Serb adversary Nino quarrel over the war, exchanging insults in a dynamic dialogue, rich in black humour.
A total of 91 films will take part in Sofia Film Fest 2002, among which “The Circle”, production of Iran and Italy, directed by Jafar Panahi, The French film “Brotherhood of Films”, directed by Christophe Gans, “K-Pax”, featuring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges, “Vanilla Sky”, directed by Cameron Crowe and featuring Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz, Romania’s “Stuff and Dough”, Bulgaria’s “The Winnings”, directed by Magardich Halvadzhyan.
With “Kandahar”, directed by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf the sixth international Sofia Film Fest 2002 will close March 28. Production of Iran and France, the film tells the story of a young journalist, born in Afghanistan, who manages to run away to Canada. Many years later she comes back in order to stop her sister from committing suicide and save her from the Taliban regime. One of the messages that the film conveys is that the Afghan people is not a monster but a hostage.