This year’s focus of the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films is to the development of young people potentials and to the positioning of Varna as a center for film industry enhancing the young talents’ skills in the Black sea region.

Under the form of Autumn Academy, the event is offering a selection of films awarded with prestigious prizes, workshops on humanitarian documentaries for young talents, international program on cultural events’ management.

Between November 17th - 21st, the oldest international film event in Bulgaria is once more gathering together in Varna films, guests, celebrities, journalists and good cinema connoisseurs. The Academy on documentary filmmaking for young talents will be building and strengthening the humanitarian approach needed for the creative processes, as well as for every day communication, for cases of crisis or critical situations happening in this complicated international situation nowadays. The international program “Festival of Festivals” is a tutorial forum on cultural events management, including a training program. It covers theoretical and practical training for people aged 15-30 years to take part in the organization of cultural events of their own. I believe that the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films will again contribute for a lot of positive emotions to happen in our “capital city at sea side”!

Ivan Portnih
Mayor
Varna Municipality

Humanity and cinema against aggression. Mission possible!

By organizing Autumn Academy, the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, supported by the Medical Academy of Varna, assigns itself a task again - ambitious but of topical importance– to initiate a clash between two gigantic powers, the power of good will, humanity and beauty against the power of evil, hatred to people and ugliness. We need explanation for the clash between these two galaxies to understand it and make choice - for ourselves and mainly for our children, trying by means of culture and humanity to make this world a better place for living at.

I trust, that the Autumn Film Academy, with its rich program, is assigning the topics and parameters of the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films next edition – Varna 2017 – and will perform as its prestigious start.

I want to express my greetings to the Academy participants, I wish them successful creative results and I am certain that their high professionalism will essentially contribute to further putting into practice the motto of the Festival in Varna – “Through Humanity to Peace and Friendship”

Good luck!

Mag.pharm. Hristo Grigorov, d.h.c.
Chairman
Bulgarian Red Cross

When, in 2014, after nearly 25 wears of interruption, we restored one of the most prestigious festivals in our “capital city at sea side” – the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, we were charged with much optimism, energy and faith.

Now, following the first two new editions, we are convinced, that the Festival is capable to reach again the levels of the past – it was the only Category “A” festival at the Balkans, like the category of the festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin.

Alongside with our basic task – to collect and show the best films treating topical humanitarian and health issues being produced by Red Cross societies, we wished to turn Varna into a protected territory for art and health care.

Today, at the eve of the Autumn Academy devoted to the theme “Aggression – Humanity – Cinema”, I am charged again with a lot of optimism and faith, because I know, that the topical problems of contemporary world can be solved by means of education, science and culture. Being an educational and science-based institution, the Medical University of Varna has taken commitment not only to its graduates, students, post-graduate students, PhD students, but also to the whole society. I sincerely hope, that the Autumn Academy will be met with the same enthusiasm and interest and that all the participants will learn the might of the filming art allowing them to be able to say NO to the aggression and to show that the road to the world of peace starts with humanity.

Prof. Krasimir Ivanov, MD, PhD, DSc
Rector
Medical University Varna

The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films is organizing the Autumn Academy 2016 in between two editions of Festivals with contest character.

The topical global issues prompted the theme, which unites the various modules of the Academy. Unfortunately, aggression becomes a common phenomenon as for Bulgaria, so for Europe and for the whole world. Aggression is demonstrated both by young and aged members of the society. However, we all need cares, tranquility, joy, and hope, things, which we can enjoy due to humanity.

Cinema as an art reflects, with its specific methods, the life in its variety, with the human society’s tendencies of development for a certain period of time, exerting very often their impact beyond the frames of the period.

Does the contemporary cinema depict the aggression and the humanity nowadays, the concerns of whole nations, the fates of people overturned by events? Who and how offers help nowadays and where does humanism apply in the modern world - answers to these questions and topical issues concerning aggression, humanity and cinema should be found in the lectures, discussions, workshops and films program, in the frames of the Autumn Academy 2016.

The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films, with the support of the Medical University of Varna and of the National Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, is organizing this forum for artists, journalists, analyzers, film art theoreticians and filmmakers and public people, hoping to offer another opportunity for access to topical and specialized information, for making analysis, for choosing position in cases of clashes between aggression and humanity.

Ilko Raev
Director
International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films

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