The 21st edition of the International Film Festival “Love is Folly” began 30th of  August in Varna. The opening ceremony included the traditional red carpet walk of top Bulgarian movie stars, directors, producers and foreign guests in front of the Festival and Congress Center in the city.

The opening ceremony was hosted by the fest’s artistic director, Alexander Grozev, an acclaimed film critic. The newly-elected Mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih, was a special guest as the event is held under the patronage of the City Hall.

The award for overall contribution was bestowed to prominent Bulgarian movie director, Nikola Korabov, 85, who was met by the audience with thundering applause.

Awards for special contributions were handed to Italian megastar Fabio Testi and prominent independent movie director, American Rob Nillson, who are among the VIP guests and were present at the ceremony.

Nillson will also preside the jury. He will present 5 of his movies.

12 films will compete for the grand prize, while a total of 76 from France, Spain, Romania, Turkey, Lebanon, and China, among others, will be shown. This is the most movies in the entire fest’s history.

For the first time this year, there are showings in the plenary hall of Varna’s municipality administration building. Admission there is free and he program includes an Israeli-made documentary about the July 2012 terror attack in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas.

Also for the first time, the Varna fest has partnered with the Mons International Festival of Love Films in Belgium.

There will be several film panoramas titled “Festivals and Prizes,” “On World Stages,” and three separate ones focusing on Chinese, Palestinian and Belgic cinemas.

The event closes on September 5.

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are sold for BGN 10, for all other showings – for BGN 5. There will be several free showings as well.

Here is the full programme of “Love is Folly” 2013

Dangerous Charm
30 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
Samogonshchiki
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
The Dog Barbos and unusual cross
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
Jack-of-all-trades
30 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
Let The Bullets Fly
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Tobacco
30 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 18:00
Examine
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:30
Beloved
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:00
Pearls of the Far East
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
War Witch
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 22:00
The Last Rhapsody
30 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
Rana`s Wedding
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
The Double
31 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
The Piano in a Factory
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 15:30
The Inspector and the Night
31 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
Little Big Soldier
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
From the window of my room
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 17:30
Yuliya Vrevskaya
31 August 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 18:00
Peace Days
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
Bright Days Ahead
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:30
Northern Lights
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
Shameless
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 21:30
Beyond the Walls
31 August 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
Operation “Y” and other Shurik’s adventures
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
Warmth
1 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
Kon-Tiki
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 15:30
Incredible Story
1 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
The Knot
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Chasing Rainbows
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 17:30
Dreams About the White Road
1 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 18:00
Prinzenbad
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
The Nun
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:30
The garden of the Finzi-Continis
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
Mobius
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 21:30
Love in USSR
1 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
King for a Day
2 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
Kidnapping Caucasian Style
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
Heels of War
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 15:30
And the Spring Comes
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Whale
2 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
Strangers in the House
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 17:30
Destiny
2 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 18:00
Casanova – the secret of his success
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
Love with accent
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:30
Heat and Sunlight
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
Another Silence
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 21:30
Pomegranates and Myrrh
2 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
Yesterday
3 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
The Diamond Hand
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
Halima’s Path
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 15:30
Exams at any odd time
3 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
Buddha Mountain
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Our Women
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 17:30
Presque Isle
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
Rat Poison
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:30
A Leap to Take
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
Child’s Pose
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 21:30
The Romance Beer-House
3 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
Adio, Rio
4 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 14:00
Miral
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 14:00
Flying Leaves
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 15:30
The thirteenth bride of the prince
4 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 16:00
One Day or Another
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Tango libre
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 17:45
Till The End, Amir
4 September 2013

Municipality of the City of Varna , Plenary Hall – 18:00
A song for my mom
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
Loving
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:45
Collapse
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00
Capital
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 21:45
Expiation
4 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 22:00
Twelve Chairs
5 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 13:00
Closed Curtain
5 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 16:00
Chicken with Plums
5 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 18:00
The Players
5 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Hall 1 – 19:00
Load
5 September 2013

Festival and Congress Centre , Europe Hall – 20:00