For the 11th time in a row, the literary festival “Cinelibri“ honored the biggest names in the field of European cinema. Sylvie Vartan once again thrilled the guests in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture with the words: “Bulgaria will forever remain in my heart!“, presenting the award for overall creativity and contribution to the art of cinematography to the Polish director Agnieszka Holland. “Her voice is the voice of conscience, of freedom, of humanity. She reminds us that cinema can be not only art, but also an act of courage“, Vartan said before presenting the award.
Vartan admitted that she is very excited to be back in Bulgaria – her native land. “Every time I step here, my heart wakes up. Memories of my childhood, of my first dreams, of the people and places that taught me to love. Everything is dearer to me here – the air, the light, the words, the smiles. Today, to be here, in this hall where I cried with nostalgia and love, is truly magical. Every time I return here is like meeting myself“, Vartan admitted.
The film “The Disappearance“ by director Kirill Serebrennikov, dedicated to the life of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, won the award for the most successful literary adaptation at this year's edition of festival.
For outstanding contribution, the award went to the Italian actor Tony Servillo, whose film “Polvane“ was broadcast immediately after the official award ceremony.
“Today I had the great pleasure of singing on the same stage with the exceptional Sylvie Vartan – we sang a song in Italian“, said Servillo. He is very excited that the Bulgarian audience is one of the first to see this film. It has just been presented in Venice and at other festivals around the world“, said the Italian actor.
The great star of French music with Bulgarian roots Vartan received the award “Conquests of the Spirit“ for achievements in various fields of art.