Ralitsa Asenova has lived in Paris for 10 years. She studied theater and cinema at the Sorbonne, at the University of Bologna, as well as "Cultural Policies in Europe" at the Institute of European Studies in Paris. In 2014, together with two French women, she created the "Meetings of Young European Cinema" festival in Sofia and the "Days of Bulgarian Cinema" in Paris, the third editions of which will take place in the fall.
For the third year in a row, the festival brings together talents in the field of cinema. What will be the focus this year?
This year's highlights are several. The first and second feature-length films by young European authors, already presented at prestigious festivals, a thematic program of films and discussions called "The Rights of the Child", part of the project of the French Institute in Bucharest - "Perspectives on Childhood, Education and Migration in Eastern Europe". So too is the program "Forever young" - timeless films by classic directors who were unknown to the audience at the beginning of their careers, like most of the directors we show in our program. This year we are particularly proud of the parallel educational program on cinema, with free screenings and discussions, which we developed for students, in partnership with the Sofia Program "Culture", the Bulgarian National Film Library and the French Institute. The difference, compared to the previous two editions, is that this year the student screenings are open to all interested children and young people, within the limits of the free seats in the cinemas.
What is Bulgarian participation in films and how do we join European cinematography?
It was in the program for students that we included the first full-length film by the young director Elitsa Petkova – “Zhaleika”. In our opinion, both the theme and the aesthetic form will provoke interesting discussions with young people. For me, this is a film that carries within itself a point of view and a look at contemporary reality through cinema. In contemporary Bulgarian cinema, we are witnessing more and more such films that are somehow naturally included in European cinematography and are noticed in important European festivals. The idea of our association is mainly to present Bulgarian cinema in Paris, where I live most of the year, and reciprocally the best of contemporary French and European cinema in Bulgaria.
How will this year be different in shaping the program?
We have different criteria when selecting films, but the main and most important one is that each of them brings something original, often never shown before in Bulgaria, a different aesthetic that we can present and defend to the audience. I have already mentioned the different components of the program. With each passing year, it becomes more comprehensive. Contemporary European cinema is not a slave to traditions, it is both avant-garde and with an eye towards the classics – a harmonious melange of genres, styles and innovative discoveries.
You announced a preliminary competition for the festival trailer. Who are the young talents you chose?
This year we turned to students from Sofia high schools who sent their photos or videos, expressing their desire to participate. With four of them – Velizara Georgieva, Lyubo Chavdarov, Sami Al Dakrouni, Alexander Dimitrov and with the special participation of director Svetoslav Draganov, as well as two ladies from our team – Yoana Pankova and Vasilena Vasileva, we filmed the festival trailer. It impresses with its minimalistic means of expression, a deliberately sought-after counterpoint to the dynamic inner emotional world of the youngest generation.
Is there a specific theme when creating the trailer?
There were three pre-assigned words that the students had to think about. Then we discussed the ideas for a long time and came up with the ones that are embedded in the trailer. I would say that a large part of the conceptual realization was born directly during the filming process, a method borrowed from the “New Wave” of French cinema.
Tell us more about the creative studios and how the students are selected?
During the first two editions of the festival, we held a workshop on writing criticism. And in this edition, we also included a practical workshop, in which students will have the opportunity to shoot their own short films. The only condition for joining is to be motivated and consistent, because the workshop requires a lot of work within this festival week.
How does such an idea find its place in Bulgaria? And what are the feelings and emotions between European and Bulgarian artists?
I wouldn't say that the idea of a festival of this type, with a non-competitive nature, with activities for students, with films unknown to the audience, is easy to implement in Bulgaria. But perhaps every beginning is difficult. European artists are always happy to visit Bulgaria, and vice versa. The days of Bulgarian cinema in Paris are very pleasant, and I hope fruitful. Foreign guests get to know modern and old Sofia, meet their colleagues - more than once the festival has been an occasion for new acquaintances and collaborations. This is precisely part of the goals of our event.
How do teenage children manage to concentrate at an educational film festival and what do they most often surprise you with?
Our experience from the first two editions shows that everything depends on the way a certain film is presented: with an appropriate and intriguing discussion, with a meeting with a director or other professional, etc. Of course, the selection of films is also of great importance and usually, when this work is well done, there is no problem with concentration. “Educational film festival” sounds a bit strict, but our goal is to generate interest in the mysterious image, in the boundless world of cinema. To give the necessary guidelines for analysis, and subsequently for young people and children to discover its merits and mechanisms of its creation themselves, with our help. When necessary, if I may use the slang expression, to “ignite them” in cinema and help them with the initial steps… This is our methodology in the other film education projects that we are involved in and are entering the Bulgarian scene.
What are the most common topics that students are drawn to? What are your professional observations?
The themes are provoked by films, but perhaps the most interesting one is this one: about the place of a young person in society and how he fits into it. Of course, they adore well-made comedies. They raise the topic of the dilemmas of existence, the contrasts between generations, the fears of future realization and, of course, about love stories similar to theirs. For the first year, we will also hold a practical workshop, during which short films will be made. We are yet to find out what the themes will be. We would suggest to the participants: the inspiration from the urban labyrinth, a place for interesting stories and amazing destinies.
Where will the festival take place? How does the location of the event provoke the participants' desire to create the perfect film?
This year, the festival will take place at the Odeon Cinema and the French Institute in Sofia. Both places are emblematic of Sofia. The Odeon Cinema, with its rich history and active advocacy of significant classic and contemporary cinema, and the wonderful hall of the French Institute, which is gaining momentum among Bulgarian film buffs with selected titles from French cinema, often not shown in Bulgaria until now. I hope that the city as a plot space will inspire the participants in the practical workshop to make their own films. It will end with a screening of these films at the Odeon Cinema in front of an audience that the young authors themselves can also invite - another opportunity to relay interest in cinema among young people.
