The seventh edition of the International Festival of Animated Film "Golden Kuker" started with a colourful carnival procession on the Rakovski Street in Sofia. "We called it ‘The Aristocrats of Animation and Arts’ and wanted to pass the carnival spirit to all students from the National Art Academy and the citizens of Sofia, in order for them to experience with us all the pleasant events that we have prepared,” Nadezhda Slavova, head of Golden Kuker says. This year the festival takes place in the period May 11 - 15.

"We have a very rich program. This year we received a total of 937 films, including 15 feature films. Out of these, we included 205 films in the competition program and 115 in the information program. We are to hold a number of master classes, workshops and anything that could help the training and education of students dealing with animation, as well as art lovers. I want to say that this year's film by Dimitar Dimitrov ‘20 Kicks’ was selected for the day of animation in Cannes, which is an outstanding success. It was back in 1985 when Bulgaria won the Golden Palm Award from Cannes with the film ‘Jenitba’ by Rumen Petkov and Slav Bakalov. After that Boiko Kanev brought a number of international awards with ‘Smachkan Svyat,’ so this is the third Bulgarian success in Cannes. "

Dimitar Dimitrov will actually hold one of the master classes during the festival. He will show that animation can be created using mobile applications and a smartphone.

"One can work with a smartphone or a tablet and this is extremely affordable. This means great future for animation and people who can use a computer and have skills could become artists using specific applications,” Nadezhda Slavova says. “Rumen Petkov will also hold a master class on animation. Nancy Denney-Phelps, one of the most famous film critics in the world and Bulgarian film critic Andronika Martonova will hold a discussion on creative criticism in cinema. We are also to present a festival of the GIF animation. This is a very interesting and unique festival that is held in Subotica, Serbia. On May 15 I would like to invite children from all over Sofia to come to the ‘Iskar’ Home of Culture. Two weeks before the International Children's Day we will organize our own ‘Children's Day’ that would include screenings and animation workshops."

It is important to point out that the art of animation has marked a true progress during recent years in Bulgaria. 7 years ago the Bulgarian Association of Independent Cartoon Animation Artists was established and it includes 160 Bulgarian animators living and working in this country and abroad. One can see their great talent during the program of the Golden Kuker Festival and in the exhibitions arranged in the National Academy of Arts and the “Iskar” Home of Culture in Sofia.

English: Alexander Markov