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XVIII International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films - Varna
The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films was established in 1965. Organized by the Bulgarian Red Cross with the assistance of Bulgarian state institutions and supported by extremely prestigious international organizations such as the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, World Health organization and UNESCO, this remarkable forum of the seventh art has been awarded the highest film festival category A - in recognition of its importance worldwide. Unfortunately, in 1991 the festival was suspended for more than two decades.
In 2014, at the joint initiative of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, headed by Acad. Hristo Grigorov, Ph.D. k., Medical University - Varna, headed by Prof. Krassimir Ivanov, MD, and Ilko Raev, Chairman of the Regional Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross - Varna, and a member of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films has been restored. And its three regular editions and two Academies, conducted since its restoration to the present day, unequivocally show that its prestige as an international film event is growing with each passing year:
- in 2014, in the fifteenth edition of the festival, 125 film productions from 20 countries participated;
- in 2015, at the sixteenth edition - 145 films from 25 countries;
- on the seventeenth, in 2017, there were 201 films and 49 countries;
- over 3,000 films from 118 countries on all continents have been submitted for selection for the upcoming 18th edition of the festival; 206 titles from 59 countries will be shown in the festival program.
These figures show one more thing: that the world is not only still interested in the idea set in the festival's motto - "Through humanism to peace and friendship", but is increasingly behind it.To express their sympathy for this idea by participating in its events, this year the festival will welcome over 150 official guests - prominent Bulgarian actors, directors, screenwriters, producers, film critics, members of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross and regional directors, delegations and representatives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent from European countries, authoritative public figures, prominent specialists in medicine, sociology, psychology and law, famous writers and journalists, foreign filmmakers presenting their films in the festival program.
Apart from the messages from the screen, the main focus of the program is the already emblematic for the festival Discussion Forum, in which prominent public figures present their theses about our time, united by the theme "Aggression, humanity, cinema".
The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Film is conceived and established more and more as a format that allows for a meeting of like-minded people who, through various means of expression, defend the idea of humanism. Recognition of its civic and artistic significance is the fact that since its restoration in 2014, it has invariably been held under the patronage of the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria.
OPENING
SPECIAL GUESTS
Massimiliano Cocosa - Film Producer, Italy / Biket Ilhan - Director and Producer, Turkey / Bejai Brown - Director and Journalist, Cyprus / Leide Jacob - Director and Producer, Brazil
Leide Jacob - Director and Producer, Brazil
AWARD CEREMONY
XVIII INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF RED CROSS AND HEALTH FILMS - VARNA CLOSED
After 5 exciting days filled with emotions, creative activities, discussions, film screenings, diverse program and international meetings by the sea, the international jury consisting of: Dorothea Toncheva, actress, Arman Pekkaya, director / Turkey /, Ilian Dzhevelekov, producer and director , Velislav Pavlov, actor, and Prof. Violetka Tacheva, announced and officially closed the XVIII International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films - 2019.
The Grand Prize of the festival is awarded to the film "It's Your turn" (Brazil, directed by Eliza Capai)
The special award of the jury went to the film of BNT "THE BEGINNING IS THE END" (Bulgaria, directed by Rumyana Angelakova)
Best Director is Sanjay Raual for "3100: RUNNING AND SELF-PASSING" (USA)
Best Screenplay Award goes to Onur Yaz for TOPRAK (France, Turkey)
The best film in the category of Films of the Red Cross and Red Crescent was the film "WOMEN'S CENTER OF THE RED CRENUS" (Turkey, directed by Biket Ilhan)
The special award of the President of the Bulgarian Red Cross in the same category was won by the film "EQUALITY" (produced by the Romanian Red Cross)
The best film in the Health Films category is "FACE OF LAPHORE" (Bosnia and Herzegovina, directed by Denis Boic)
Special award in the same category of the Rector of the Medical University - Varna - for the film "DEATH WITH DIGNITY" (Netherlands, directed by Jesse van Fenroy)
The award for the best feature film in the Documentary category went to "THE INVISIBLE SWORD" (Italy, directed by Massimiliano Cocoza)
Best Short Film Award in the Documentary category - to "LIFE BEGINS AT 90" (Cyprus, directed by Bejai Brown)
The Award for Best Feature Film in the Feature Films category - of the film "RAIN BORDER" (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Great Britain, Sweden, directed by Nikola Mijovic and Vlastimir Sudar)
The special award in the category of Feature Films of the Mayor of the Municipality of Varna - for the film "CONCERT FOR CLARINET AND ORCHESTRA" (Bulgaria, directed by Maxim Petrov)Outside the rules of the festival, the jury awarded a SPECIAL DIPLOMA to the volunteers of the Bulgarian Youth Red Cross - Varna, for their enthusiasm to shoot the film "INSPIRATION" and for their inspiration to help unreservedly and responsibly wherever they are needed. the charm of the 18th International Red Cross and Health Film Festival would not be the same.
The festival was under the patronage of the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria Iliana Yotova and is the work of the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Medical University - Varna.
