Bulgarian animator and multimedia artist Theodore Ushev is to head the international jury at the forthcoming 25^th Sofia International Film Festival. Svetla Tsotsorkova, Director of the film “Sister” that won the 24^th edition of the Sofia Film Fest, will be part of the jury as well. Russian film director Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Hungarian film director, actor and producer Szabolcs Hajdu and Macedonian actress Natasha Petrovic will also join the international jury. Filmmakers from five countries and three continents are to award the festival’s prizes, specify representatives of the company “Art Fest“, which organizes the festival.

Theodore Ushev was named the world’s most influential animator in the last quarter century. The survey was organized by curators of the International Film Festival in Lleida (Animac). In the past 15 years, Theodore Ushev has worked for the National Film Board of Canada. His creative biography contains more than 15 films, which brought him over 200 international awards.

Within the frameworks of the 25^th Sofia International Film Festival Theodore Ushev is to present a programme with own animated and experimental films, including the popular “Blind Vaysha”, as well as “The Physics of Sorrow” by Georgi Gospodinov. This year the biggest film forum in the Balkans will take place between March 11 and 31. Its programme includes more than 150 feature-length films and documentaries, as well as over 20 short films.

Compiled by: Vesela Krasteva

English version: Kostadin Atanasov