Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF) (Bulgarian: Международен София Филм Фест, София Филм Фест), also known as Sofia Film Fest, is an annual film festival in Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria, taking place in March each year. It was established in 1997 and is the only film festival in Bulgaria recognised by FIPRESCI.
History
The festival was established in 1997,[1] as a thematic music film festival.[2]
Since 2003, the festival has included an International Competition and has been included in the FIPRESCI calendar, and a regional and national competition for short films was introduced in the same year (the Jameson Short Film Award). In 2009 an international documentary film competition was added.[1]
In 2010, SIFF was accredited by FIAPF as a competitive specialised feature film festival, becoming the only Bulgarian film festival to gain such recognition. It is also the only Bulgarian film festival recognised by FIPRESCI.[1]
For its 10th anniversary as an international cinema event in the year 2010 named Year of Bulgarian Cinema,[3][4][5] Sofia International Film Festival received as present the recognition from FIAPF(International Federation of Film Producers Associations) - it was accredited [6] as competitive festival specialized in first and second films. Since its creation the director of the festival has been Stefan Kitanov.[7][8]
The 2020 edition of the festival was postponed from its initial March dates and split into two parts, rolled out in June and September, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Subsequently, the 2021 edition of the festival, which is also the 25th anniversary edition, will be held both online and offline in a hybrid format.[10]
Description
Featured in Variety's Top 50 film festivals in 2007,[11] the event presents Bulgaria to the world as the host one of the important film festivals in Europe and takes place annually in March. It brings contemporary world cinema to the domestic audience in Bulgaria and the latest in Bulgarian cinema to the rest of the world.
