The 12th Sofia International Film Festival opened the evening of March 6 with a gala screening of Rangel Vulchanov's latest film A Dnes Nakude (А днес накъде/Which Way Today).

The movie continues a story started 20 years ago in A Sega Nakude (А сега накъде/And Where Do We Go from Here?), which tells of 26 young theatrical aspirants at an audition.

Also at the opening ceremony, held in the National Palace of Culture (NDK), Vladislav Ikonomov, a film director, was awarded with the Sofia Award for overall contribution to cinema arts.

Keeping with the Year of Russia in Bulgaria and the focus on Russia in this year's film festival, director Nikita Mikhalkov (The Barber of Siberia, Burnt by the Sun, A Cruel Romance) arrived to present his film 12, at the gala screening on March 7.

To make the film, Mikhalkov bought the rights to 12 Angry Men; he has since re-interpreted it to be a jury of 12 deciding the fate of a Chechen teenager accused of murder. At the Bulgarian premiere of this film, Mikhalkov will be decorated with the Sofia Award for overall contribution to cinema arts.

Also this evening is the Bulgarian premiere of Andrey Paounov's documentary The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (Проблемът с комарите и други истории), which was included in the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes 2007, and won a special mention award for best documentary at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2007. The film will be shown at 8.30pm at Lumiere Cinema, after which it will hit Bulgarian commercial cinema screens.

Guests at the Sofia Film Fest are to include John Paul Davidson, a producer and the director of Michael Palin's New Europe, who, to co-incide with the March 9 screening (4.30pm, Lumiere Cinema) of Michael Palin’s New Europe: Eastern Delight, will hold an open workshop on the theme How Documentary Films Are Created.

Nick Powell will give lessons on producing on March 14 at the Central Military Club.

With his films My Brother Tom (March 11, 9pm, Euro Cinema; March 12, 1.30pm, Dom na Kinoto) and Exhibit A (March 12, 9pm, Euro Cinema; March 13, 1.30pm, Lumiere Cinema) at the festival, member of the jury Dom Rotheroe will also lead a discussion on digital cinema at the Central Military Club on March 15.

Director Fatih Akin (Gegen die Wand/Head-On, Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul), whose films are being showcased at the festival, is expected to be in Sofia from March 15 to 17, as is Christian Mungiu from March 13 to 14, the director of 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile/4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days  (showing on March 13, 8.30pm, Odeon), which won three awards including the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes 2007.

For the programme of Sofia International Film Festival, please click here.