We present you three films from the International Competition for the first and second film of the 25th Sofia Film Festival.
„The Black Cat“ is the second feature film for the Iranian director Karim Mohammad Amini. The film is a story about reality in the present day society through the eyes of the new generation in Iran - young people who are inevitably confronted with traditional conservatism. Today, rap is very popular among Iranian youth. However, this genre is not accepted by the government and the songs cannot be released legally. The authors must act illegally, as must their admirers - urban youths whose hopes and dreams are changing because of the Internet and social networks conquering the world. Famous Iranian actor Bahram Radanplays himself in the film and hosts a TV show broadcasted live via digital platform. He inadvertently faces a problem caused by a group of young people - this conflict affects his personal and professional life…
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„The Cemil Show“ is the feature film debut of Turkish director Baras Sarhan. His eponymous short film appeared in 2015, and he returns to the character Cemil to tell his story in 2020 in an intriguing thriller about the dark, irresistible charm of fame. Cemil dreams of being an actor and auditions for the role of the villain in a feature film, a remake of a Turkish classic B-movie from the 60's. Cemil is looking for alternative ways to get the role. He tries to contact Turgay Göral, the actor who played the same role years ago. But Göral is found dead in his apartment, and Cemil is shocked that such an actor can remain lonely and forgotten. The path Cemil takes to get the role slowly turns into a dark eddy in which Turgay Göral's life, the villain role he is preparing for and Cemils own character intertwine.
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Hungarian director Balázs Krasznahorkai's first feature film is „Ravine“, telling the story of an obstetrician who left his home village in Maramures, Romania to study at a medical school in Budapest. 17 years later, he returns home on Easter for his father's funeral and finds himself responsible for the fate of his own son, whose existence he did not knew about. This turns him abruptly to the gloomy and irreconcilable world he left behind.
„Ravine“ is a ballad about the present, and it takes place in a magical place, with a unique nature. During the revival of the father-son relationship, this story raises questions about the strength of relationships in a family and about the contradictions between people; about the fate that connects crime and punishment; about the chance to achieve redemption and start fresh…", says the director.
We're waiting for you at the #CINEMAS * #25SofiaIFF