Cultural Programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the South-East European Cooperation Process - events in Zagreb
In the following three days in November, visitors to the events had the opportunity to see the exhibition "1/320 of a Second", which was opened on November 23 by the Ambassadors of Bulgaria and Slovenia in Zagreb, the deputy ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, in the presence of the author, Thompson Reuters agency photojournalist Stoyan Nenov. In spring this year, Stoyan Nenov became the first Bulgarian to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism. The photo that won the award is among those in the "1/320 of a Second" exhibition.
The films shown included director Stefan Komandarev's "The Judgment" (a Bulgaria-Croatia-Macedonia-Germany co-production), "The Melon Route" by Croatian director Branko Schmidt and "Spare Parts" by Slovenian director Damian Kozole. These films show different stories related to illegal migration on the Balkan Route.
The State Institute for Culture was a major initiator in the preparation and implementation of the cultural programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Southeast European Cooperation Process, with the main aim of improving the visibility of the Process and involving new partners.
Culture of the Regions is one of the established programs of the Institute and on the occasion of the Bulgarian Presidency, an event was organized in Sofia in October 2015 dedicated to culinary diplomacy and the opportunities for it to generate new processes of intercultural dialogue.
In April 2016, Days of the Cinema of Southeast Europe were held. Twelve films that emphasise the diversity of the language of cinema in the region were shown at the G8 Cultural Centre in Sofia.
The aim was to present a picture of the diversity of cinema that is being created here. The fact that most of the featured films were co-productions was another focus on the opportunities for broadening cinema co-operation in the region.
In October 2016, the State Institute for Culture worked in partnership with the Bulgarian PEN centre to mark its 90th anniversary and a writer's meeting of authors from the region in Sofia and Kazanlak. The PEN presented the Anthology "Balkan Rose", a collection of works of the members of the national PEN centres.