The XIX International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films has started

The XIX International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films begins tonight. At a press conference of the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Medical University - Varna was officially launched the event under the motto "Pandemic - Society - Cinema". The meeting was attended by Prof. Dr. Krassimir Gigov, Director General of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Acad. Hristo Grigorov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross, the director of the festival and chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross-Varna Mr. Ilko Raev, Velina Markovska, head of the Communications and Television Department at MU-Varna and the official guests Iskra Radeva and Martina Vachkova. The press conference was opened by Acad. Grigorov : " It is a pleasure for us to open the XIX International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, a festival that brought Bulgaria back to the world stage. Interest in it is enormous. Now we have 1281 films from 101 countries from all over the world in comparison to 7 years ago when we had films from 20 countries only. We wish the festival success!". Bulgarian film celebrities Iskra Radeva and Martina Vachkova are in Varna to support the festival. They expressed their gratitude to the organizers and shared that the cause of the event is extremely important as it affects important issues such as donation, transplantations, moral values, volunteering and should reach more people. The festival starts tonight at 8 pm at the entrance of the Sea Garden with a screening of the feature film "Mammonga", made in Serbia in 2019 by director Stefan Maleshevic. It tells the story of words that are uttered only when necessary in a world where language is incomprehensible. The film is presented in Bulgaria for the first time. Other highlights of the Festival's program today are the films - "Measuring Time", a documentary about the day of the man on hemodialysis, screening at 5 pm and "Little Lives", a documentary that tells the story of underage Moroccans who leave their country, to try to live in Europe, screening from 7 pm. The two films will be presented at ReBonkers. All screenings are free of charge. at the entrance of the Sea Garden in Varna and in the new artistic space in the city - ReBonkers, which is located at 4 “Baruten Pogreb” Street. The access regime will be in strict compliance with anti-epidemic measures. The International Red Cross and Health Film Festival presents documentaries and feature films from around the world. This is the first international film festival in Bulgaria with over 56 years of history. Since its establishment in 1965, it has disseminated humanitarian and cultural values through cinema and is a center for the exchange of experience on current topics of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, world and national health institutions. The event is of strategic importance for Bulgaria with its indisputable international authority. The XIX International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films is organized as a joint initiative of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Medical University - Varna, the Regional Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, with the support of the Municipality of Varna.