WILLIAM BALDWIN AND THE INTERNATIONAL JURY OF CINELIBRI 2023 FOR THE BRIGHT CREATIVE METAMORPHOSIS OF THIS YEAR'S EDITION

24 Октомври 2023г.
WILLIAM BALDWIN AND THE INTERNATIONAL JURY OF CINELIBRI 2023 FOR THE BRIGHT CREATIVE METAMORPHOSIS OF THIS YEAR'S EDITION | The News BG Reporter ®



News BG Reporter - Ivan Varbanov - Sofia, October 20, 2023
/ I start my report with congratulations to Jacqueline Wagenstein - the founder and selector of the cinema-literary festival "Cinelibri" for the courage, will and drive to successfully develop this unique of its kind , a notable and authoritative film forum. Unparalleled worldwide. In fact, the festival is dedicated entirely to adaptations - the only one in the world, which is a privilege and a well-deserved source of pride. Admirations that in today's extremely difficult and difficult time, in a time when the world is in a situation of two wars, Jacqui Wagenstein gives wings to the creators who create and are part of the unique magic of the seventh art. For the ninth year in a row, Cinelibri keeps the flame of cinematic metamorphoses of literary works alive. Today, October 20, is important for the festival, because in the evening, at 7 p.m., in hall 1 of the NDK, the international jury, headed this year by the film legend William Baldwin, will announce its decisions on which of the international film productions that are in competition will awarded the Grand Prize this year. The international jury met with media and journalists to raise the curtain on their work, on the topics and discussions that are held during the evaluation of the films, on the impressions of the productions, to share their personal emotions and cinema news. "Lyubo", "One Love", "Passions in the Kitchen" are in the top 3 of the competition program, the tape "Passions in the Kitchen" for the jury is the tape with the brightest metamorphoses - actor, director, cinematographer. The jury will choose from among eleven strong competition titles, most of which premiered at the festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto. Judges with William Baldwin are: Canadian casting director and producer Bruno Rosato ("Fragments of a Woman's Life," "Mafia Inc.", "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"); the French film director and actress Lea Todorov ("The New Woman", "Russian Utopia", "Memory of Pain"), daughter of the world-famous philosopher, literary critic, semiotician and culturologist Tsvetan Todorov; acclaimed Spanish TV and film actress Carla Nieto; the actor Ivan Burnev ("I have served the English king", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"). The Cinelibri festival has a competitive nature, containing a competitive and parallel program. The metamorphoses of literature into cinema are diverse in their content, they are good models for adaptations on the big screen, and each is strong in its genre, with notable actors. Most films come after their presentation at the biggest festivals. There are also first-run films. Two winners will be announced - in the full-length competition and in the documentary. The president of the jury, William Baldwin, announced that he was impressed by the achievements of the mastery of actors, directors, producers, cinematographers who demonstrated their achievements in the selected films of the competition program. The jury's discussion was complex and heated before the winner was announced. "I've never been to Sofia before. I've been working a lot in the region lately. I've worked in Romania, in Belgrade, Pristina, Tirana, Greece. After the end of the pandemic, I visited the Balkans quite a few times. I like working here, I like the people, the history, the culture , the food," William said. "If you love cinema and your work, everything is easy. And when there is passion. We create works that resonate in the hearts and souls of millions of people. I hope that we manage to reach heights that will be remembered. Screen Actors Guild of America is huge. But only 3% of actors make their money practicing the profession. The other 97% of them support themselves by working as waiters, taxi drivers, bartenders. It was only in the last 15 years that I got the confidence that I could support myself by acting. You finish one project and you don't know when the next project will come. Now I say my job is to get a job. We all feel the uncertainty of freelancing, the feeling that when the director says 'Filming over,' we have our anxiety of anticipation - when will we be engaged again. Carla Nieto offered her compliments to Bulgaria and Sofia, stressing that the ten films are equal and strong. For me, the biggest transformation was a love story. It is a coincidence that the motto of the festival "Metamorphoses", which pays homage to Kafka, is undeniably the film "Wretched creature" by Yorgos Lanthimos is a symbol of the strongest metamorphoses, the whole is a vivid metaphor. Lea Todorov thanked for the opportunity to show her complete feature film in Sofia. She shared that she is impressed by how filmmakers have their own unique approach to turning literary texts into their films. I think it's easier to make a film in France because there we have strong support from the state. Success depends on funding. In some European countries we are lucky, and France is one such country where there is strong funding. The strongest metamorphosis as an impression for me is "Passions in the Kitchen".
Bruno Rosato has an extremely extensive experience in cinema and is known for being the casting director of some of the biggest movie stars in world cinema.
"You are privileged to have Jacqueline, who puts Bulgaria on the world stage of film festivals. It is among the best. You have something to show and what to show, thanks to Jacqueline. The films that have been selected are very interesting. I have always been fascinated by how much the people of this region, and Sofia in particular, value cinema, theater and the arts. For such a small country to have such a large presence in the respective arts is very impressive!". Yes, the strongest metamorphosis for us, perhaps, is the film with exemplary direction, cinematography, acting is "Passions in the Kitchen". Ivan Burnev, in turn, shared with a smile that he likes to watch movies, but also to participate in them. As a member of the jury, he distinguished the worthy participation of the Bulgarian film "Plague". He acknowledged with interest the in-depth work of the judges, inasmuch as it was composed of different artists, with different professions, and the angle of discussions for each one and the evaluations were equally different. Emma Stone is the most brilliant acting metamorphosis, with the film that opened the festival. The two strongest industries in Europe remain Italian and French. And that's why Cinelibri shows both Italian and French films. The film industry is dependent on money to the extent that making films remains an expensive pleasure. In Bulgaria, we have talented teams that work in the field, exceptional actors, directors, operators, professionals. Cinema funding mechanisms need to be optimized to work better, to be adapted. Cinema is not a solitary activity that requires many people with experience and great resources. "Passions in the kitchen", according to the members of the jury, seems to bring the most and vivid metamorphoses that impress. Passions in the Kitchen is France's official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024. Vietnamese-born French director Tran Anh Hung brings to the stars of French cinema Juliet Binoche and Benoit Magimel, former life couple. The action takes place in 1885. The main character, Eugenie, has been working for twenty years as a cook for a famous culinary chef and sophisticated gourmet named Doden Buffan. Over time, a passion arose between the two, the unique expression of which is the unique dishes that attract customers from all over the world to the restaurant. In this tempting film with an unforgettable atmosphere, the focus is on culinary art and the invention of new recipes. Through them, Buffan explains himself in love to his assistant, whose talent is no less than his. This year, the production won two prestigious awards - for directing at Cannes and the award for best film from the San Sebastian Film Festival in the Culinary Zinema Award category, was nominated for the "Golden Palm" and received a nomination for best feature film from Jameson CineFest – Miskolc International Film Festival. WHO WILL WIN THIS YEAR'S CINELIBRIE GRAND AWARD FOR FEATURE FILM - TO FIND OUT. AS WELL AS IN THE DOCUMENTARY CATEGORY. AND ANOTHER RELATED NEWS: WILLIAM BALDWIN IS FILMING IN SOFIA William Baldwin often photographed in the region - Romania, Albania, Greece. He has two shooting days in Sofia with the director Andy Deliana, who is not coming to Bulgaria and Sofia for the first time. He is impressed by everything he sees in Bulgaria. The new production, which he filmed as a director, is "My Mother - Cosmonaut", which tells about the lives of people in the 90s. It is aimed at an audience of Eastern European countries that have gone through the same analogous historical challenges, stages and events. WE ARE WAITING FOR THE CELEBRATIVE CINEMA GALA AND THE JURY'S DECISION ON THE WINNERS ...!

(Ivan Varbanov, Sofia, October 20, 2023)

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