At a press conference today, the organisers of Autumn Academy 2020 of the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films on "Pandemic-Society-Media" announced interesting details about the programme. This year's event will take place between 8 and 11 October in Varna. Organisers of the Academy, under the patronage of the Vice President Mrs. Iliyana Yotova, are Medical University - Varna and the Bulgarian Red Cross, with the support of the Municipality of Varna.
Prof. Dr. Radoslav Radev commented, "Today we are gathered together by an idea to which every one of us is committed. What we have said about the Festival so far, outlines the structure of a building - beautiful, well manufactured, with quality materials and so much intelligence invested in it, and this is the building of the Festival of Red Cross and Health Films in Bulgaria. One of the main pillars of this building is MU-Varna. The question is why exactly MU-Varna? And, in my view, this is so natural and so understandable - because we are talking about an Art. First, it is time to remember that medicine and education in medicine are an Art, not a craft. Second, Arts can only be understood, appreciated, and enjoyed by educated people. Therefore, the place of MU-Varna as a co-organiser is precisely here, because with the potential of MU-Varna as a University, with its technical facilities, with the people who are working at the University, we cannot help but inevitably be one of the parties in this ubiquitous process."
Due to the emergency epidemiological situation, the traditional discussion forum moderated by Prof. Bozhidar Manov, and some of the films will be broadcast online in the new modern studio of the University television MU-Vi tv. Guest lecturers will be Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tsonko Paunov - Head of the "Anti-Epidemic Control" Unit at UMHAT "St. Marina"- Varna, Neshka Robeva – a coach and a public figure, Dr. Tsveteslava Galabova – a psychiatrist, Tatyana Doncheva – a lawyer and a public figure, Prof. Ivo Hristov – a sociologist, Georgi Toshev – a journalist and a writer, Dr. Slavita Dzhambazova - Deputy Director General of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Open-air screenings are planned for the general public at the entrance of the Sea Garden, and about 200 seats will be provided. The screenings will be free of charge, but you need prior registration to attend them. The access regime will be in strict compliance with the anti-epidemic measures.
The President of the Bulgarian Red Cross in Varna, Mr. Iliya Raev, announced that, for the first time in the country, hospitalised patients would have the opportunity to follow the film festival programme. He specified that in addition to short and documentary films, the patients in University Hospital "St. Marina"- Varna would be able to watch the discussions during the Autumn Academy of the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films. In addition to the films, the programme includes several new cinema productions about the nature and fight against COVID-19.
At the press conference, it was announced that an application had already been submitted to the Paris FIPRESCI international organization requesting for the restoration of the A category status of the Festival.
The International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films is a biennial, with an Autumn Academy being held between each edition, which is working on pressing issues related to aggression and humanity in our society, and this year in particular, the pressing problem related to the pandemic is also addressed.
