A constant and long-awaited part of “Kinomania“ is the emphasis on Scandinavian cinema. The 39th edition, which runs from November 13 to 30, pays well-deserved attention to one of the strongest cinematographies in the world.
The motto of this year's festival is “Tenderness is the new punk“, inspired by the words of director Joachim Trier. In addition to his new film “Sentimental Value“ – The Norwegian nomination for the „Oscar", the program also surprises with: „The Last Viking“ with Mads Mikkelsen, the American-Finnish co-production „Summer Book“ with Glenn Close based on Tove Jansson, the Norwegian „The Ugly Little Sister“ and „Dreams“, the metal comedy „Another Heavy Journey“, in which there is also Bulgarian participation, as well as a special screening of „The Girls“ on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Bibi Andersson. A new book by Mirela Vasileva about the history of cinema in the North is also to be presented. The mini-festival within the framework of “Kinomania“ is being held in partnership with the diplomatic missions of Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway in Bulgaria.
A special guest at “Kinomania“ will be the Norwegian writer Ju Nesbø, whose books have been translated into more than 50 languages and have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. He will meet the audience after the screening of the thriller “Headhunters“ (Headhunters, 2011), based on his novel of the same name, which will be held on November 15 at 4 p.m. at the “Lumière“ cinema. It will officially launch the “Scandinavian Cinema Week“ within the festival. Then, at 6:30 p.m., Nesbø will present his latest book “Blood Ties“ at Event Space 2020.
Jø Nesbø's life is made up of the most diverse episodes. His career began in one of Norway's biggest football teams. He went through an injury, the army, followed finance, formed a hit music band, which for a while even held the record for the best-selling album in Norwegian history. About 30 years ago, he began his first novel, “The Bat“, about police inspector Harry Hule. 30 novels followed – 13 cases of the restless inspector Harry Hule, in addition to them several other independent works, as well as an entertaining series for children. His “Redneck“ was chosen by the book clubs as the best crime novel in Norway. The film adaptation of “Bounty Hunters“ won the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Nesbø's dark world has also attracted the interest of Hollywood – films based on several of his titles are forthcoming, as well as a series. This is Ju Nesbø's first visit to our country.
The program of „Kinomania“ also includes „The Last Viking“ with the cult actor Mads Mikkelsen, directed by the Dane Anders Thomas Jensen. He is known for titles such as „Adam's Apples“ (Adam's Apples, 2005), „Men & Chicken“ (Men & Chicken, 2015), „Riders of Justice“ (Riders of Justice, 2020), and the film „In a Better World“ (In a Better World, 2010), which was based on his script, is an „Oscar“ winner for Best Foreign Language Film. Jensen has several other nominations for the “Oscar“ for short films.
The plot tells the story of Anker (Nikolai Lie Kaas), who returns home after serving time in prison for robbing a bank. He discovers that his brother Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen) has developed a personality disorder and believes that he is John Lennon. Manfred is the only one who knows where the stolen money is hidden, but he cannot remember the place. Together they begin a journey filled with absurd situations and deeply emotional moments. The first screening is on November 19 at the “Lumière“ cinema at 7 p.m. on the special evening dedicated to the Kingdom of Denmark.
The audience of “Kinomania" will also be able to see „Another Heavy Trip“ (Heavier Trip, 2024) – a metal comedy by directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren. This is the sequel to the world's most widely distributed Finnish film of all time , sold in over 50 countries and awarded at international film festivals “Heavier Trip” (2018). “Another Heavy Trip“ is a production of Finland/Germany/Lithuania/Bulgaria, co-producers from the Bulgarian side are Tonislav Hristov and Andrea Stanoeva.
The story is about the musicians from an underground metal band called “Impaled Rektum“, who are serving a sentence in a Norwegian prison and receive a tempting offer. There is an escape from prison, absurd situations, devilish jokes, hard music and in general - brutal fun that should be shared with friends. At a special screening on November 20 at 8 p.m. at Cinema City “Paradise Center“ the audience will have the opportunity to meet the team from the Bulgarian side.
“The Ugly Stepsister“ by Emily Blickfeld is a beautiful, painful, terrifying retelling of the Cinderella story, but from the perspective of the “ugly“ sister. Her mother decides to do everything she can to “transform“ her – through painful interventions, plastic surgery and all sorts of extreme means – to get to the ball and win the attention of Prince Julian. The film is a fresh reading of the familiar story, paying attention to themes such as the cult of physical beauty and social expectations. The visually stunning coming-of-age tale is influenced by David Cronenberg and Dario Argento, and was part of the Sundance and Berlinale programs.
The Norwegian film “Dreams (Sex, Love)“ (Dreams) is the third film in Dag Johan Haugerud's trilogy, the previous two („Sex“ and „Love“) were shown at last year's „Kinomania“. „Dreams“ is a story about 17-year-old Johanne, who falls in love with her new French teacher. Although her love remains unrequited, she begins to write about her feelings. Her mother Kristin and grandmother Karin are forced to confront their own unfulfilled dreams and desires. The film is an intimate and sensitive story about three generations of women, about the power of words as a means of dealing with emotions within us
„Summer Book“ (The Summer Book) by Charlie McDowell, based on the book of the same name by the unforgettable Tove Jansson, brings together Glenn Close and a young actress in a warm story about grief and childhood. This is one of the ten works for adults by the famous writer. Sofia is an eight-year-old girl who spends the summer with her father and grandmother in Finland. Between the peaceful days by the sea, studying nature, small adventures on the shore and conversations with her grandmother, the image of grief gradually emerges, which has overcome each of them in their own way. The film will be presented in the special evening of Finland on November 21 at the House of Cinema.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Swedish actress Bibi Andersson, „Kinomania“ presents „The Girls“ (The Girls) by May Zetterling from 1968. The film by Swedish director May Zetterling is among the powerful and underrated works of the second half of the 20th century, and today it is accepted as a masterpiece ahead of its time. Bibi Andersson (1935-2019) is one of the greatest Swedish actresses, muse of Ingmar Bergman and star of world cinema. She participated in 13 of his films, including “The Seventh Seal“ (1957), “The Wild Strawberry Fields“ (1957) and “Persona“ (1966) - the role that brought her an award at Cannes. Anderson also worked with directors such as Robert Altman and John Huston. “The Girls“ – a philosophical reflection on the role of women in a society ruled by men, is having a single screening during the evening of Sweden on November 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the „Odeon“ cinema, precisely on the day that Andersson would have turned 90.
„Sentimental Value“ by the established contemporary director Joachim Trier was among the first titles announced from this year's „Kinomania“ program. The film won the prestigious „Grand Prix” from the competition program in Cannes and was selected as the Norwegian entry in the „Oscar” race for best international feature film. The latest news is that it has been nominated for the prestigious LUX Audience Award of the European Parliament – one of the few film awards in the world that also depends on the vote of the general public. We will see it exclusivelyin Bulgaria on November 16th at 7:00 PM in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture.
On November 16th, immediately before the screening of “Sentimental Value“, fans of Scandinavian cinema can also visit the presentation of the book “Themes and Styles in Scandinavian Cinema“ by Mirela Vasileva at 5:00 PM in Nexus Space.