Sofia Film Fest starts tonight

The 23rd edition of Sofia Film Fest starts on 7^th of March. The programme includes 98 full-length feature films, 57 documentaries and 28 short films. The festival opens with Andrei Paunov's latest documentary, "Walking on Water", dedicated to the project of Christo and Jean-Claude "The Floating Pier". The opening ceremony is at 19.30 in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture, at which the famous Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi will be awarded. He is a special guest at the festival with his latest film "Ether" and a retrospective of 6 of his signature works in the House of Cinema.

The famousBulgarian rock musician Kiril Marichkov will also be presented with an award for his contribution to the art of cinema and music. The prize winners will be awarded on March 16th. The festival, along with the traditional editions in Bourgas, Plovdiv and Varna, will run until 28 March.

"Make cinema, not war!" is the title of this year's edition, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.

International Jury will nominate the winner of the big prize "Sofia - City of Cinema" in the competition for the first or second feature film containing a cash prize of 7,000 Euros.