The long-awaited feature film debut of world-renowned animator Teodor Ushev will transport us to “corporate eternity” on October 8! In the style of a sci-fi anti-utopia, where the ridiculous borders on the scary and the absurd becomes chillingly logical, “φ1.618” is a real genre challenge and undoubtedly deserves to kick off Sinelliбри 2022, becoming the first Bulgarian film to open the festival. The screening of “φ1.618” on 8 October will be the first and probably the only one in Bulgaria until the start of regular distribution.
The opening ceremony of the International Film and Literature Festival will take place on October 8 at 7:00 pm in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture and will be accompanied by an extravagant dance performance, whose artistic concept is in line with the overall vision and philosophy of this year’s edition. Immediately following the ceremony, the audience in Hall 1 will attend an exclusive screening of the anti-utopian tale “φ1.618”, the feature film debut of director Theodor Ushev, known worldwide for his masterful animation projects that have won him over 200 awards over the years, including an Oscar nomination. The event is an exclusive opportunity for the audience to enjoy a pre-premiere screening of the film on the big screen in the presence of the entire team!
“φ1.618” is an inventive and visually captivating adaptation of the novel “Pummel” by writer Vladislav Todorov, also known as the author of “Swift”. Todorov participates as scriptwriter and co-producer – together with Orlin Ruevski, and the cinematographer is Emil Hristov, whose name is associated with the most successful Bulgarian films of recent years, including the literary adaptations “The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Everywhere” and “Swift”. The story will transport viewers to the mysterious world of biotitans – a micronation of immortal, asexual, biologically perfect humans. Threatened by the increasing toxicity of their planet Earth, they prepare to leave it forever, preparing the spaceship Pummel for the mission. Deyan Donkov and Martina Apostolova play the main roles, partnered by Irmena Chichikova, Nikolay Stanoev, Vasil Duyev, Ivo Dimchev, Vladimir Lyutskanov, Gerasim Georgiev – Gero, Kitodar Todorov and others.
“φ1.618” is the only Bulgarian title that will compete in this year’s international competition for the best literary adaptation for the big screen. And a few hours ago it was announced that the film has been selected for the 51st edition of the Montreal New Cinema Festival, where film visionaries such as Jim Jarmusch, Steven Soderbergh and Wim Wenders have made their debut. Borislav Kolev’s documentary about Theodore Ushev, Invisible Connections, is also in the selection of the same festival. In it, the Oscar-nominated director reveals his inner world: the personal, historical, cultural and subcultural connections that have shaped the man and the artist as he is today. The documentary will also be screened at Cinelibré as part of the Best Documentary Competition, which will take place for the first time this year.
The eighth edition of Cinelibri will be held under the motto “Time Rediscovered” to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Marcel Proust, one of the iconic figures of literary modernism and author of the groundbreaking book On the Trail of Lost Time. Between 8 and 30 October, audiences will have access to an impressive palette of festival events – over 60 productions with national premieres, dozens of gala dinners and meetings with notable artists – directors, screenwriters, writers, actors, composers, luminaries of cinema and the literary scene.
Tickets for the opening, accompanied by a screening of “φ1.618”, are now on sale on the platform https://epaygo.bg/2194839086. Early Bird tickets are available at a discounted price until 12 September and are valid for First Balcony seats only. After September 12, all tickets for Hall 1 will go on sale at regular price.
Cinelibri 2022 will take place between 8-30 October in Sofia and six other cities in Bulgaria.
The programme is supported by Sofia Municipality, the National Film Centre, the respective municipalities, and a host of partners and supporters to be announced. The festival is part of the Sofia Municipality’s Cultural Events Calendar for 2022.
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