ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV

First edition

In May 2025, Kinopanorama began with the first visit to Bulgaria of Andrey Zvyagintsev, one of the most important auteurs of contemporary world cinema: winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, of prizes at Cannes and of a Golden Globe, and twice nominated for the Oscar.

At the initiative and invitation of theatre director Teodora Lilyan, Sofia welcomed Zvyagintsev with a full retrospective of his work. From 13 to 18 May, Dom na Kinoto (the House of Cinema) screened his five feature films — The Return (2003), The Banishment (2007), Elena (2011), Leviathan (2014) and Loveless (2017) — together with Dmitry Rudakov’s documentary Andrey Zvyagintsev. Director.

The high point of the film programme was the screening of Loveless on 17 May, followed by a meeting and conversation with the director, in which the audience could put their questions to him in person.

The visit also brought the Bulgarian premiere of the book Andrey Zvyagintsev: Screenplays, published by Knigomania in Teodora Lilyan’s translation. It collects the screenplays of his five films with the author’s own commentary, revealing the creative process behind them. The book was launched on 16 May at the Peroto literary club, with Zvyagintsev, Teodora Lilyan and moderator Dimitar Stoyanovich.

On 17 May the director also gave a special masterclass at NATFA for students of NATFA and New Bulgarian University, moderated by Yavor Gardev. It gave young filmmakers a close look at his creative method, his directing choices and his work on set.

The first edition of Kinopanorama brought cinema, literature and education together in one cultural event — an encounter not only with the films of a great director, but with the thinking, the experience and the person behind them.