Plovdiv enters the circle of international film festivals, to which the Florentine “Archeofilm” belongs. This was announced by Giudita Prunetti, director of “Archeofilm”, the festival which every year shows films from around the world on archaeology, art and the environment. The lady came especially from Italy for the Bulgarian premiere of the film “Ancient Roman Plovdiv”.
The documentary that conquered Florence gathered the elite of Plovdiv this weekend in the Episcopal Basilica of Philippopolis. Among the distinguished guests of the event was the beautiful Anna Maria Guzeleva – actress, journalist, poet and film producer. The lady who tirelessly promotes Bulgarian culture abroad flew in from Rome to support the new film production.
“Ancient Roman Plovdiv” was created by the private Bulgarian-Italian foundation “Rome” of Miroslav Stamov, who is the producer of the tape. Today, the Plovdiv resident creates bridges between two cultures – the Bulgarian and the Italian – and distributes their valuable artifacts. With his film, Bulgaria participated for the first time in the “Archeofilm” 2024 festival, which was held from March 6 to 10 and 88 competition titles were shown there. The film, which captures Plovdiv in its past and present, traces the traces of five civilizations that marked the past of one of the oldest cities in Europe and the world. The tape takes us back eight millennia in time. The highlight, however, is the Roman period of the 4th century, which began in the year 46, when the province of Thrace became part of the Roman Empire. The director of the film “Ancient Roman Plovdiv” is Boris Slavchev, who lives and works in Rome, and the cinematographer is Simeon Mihailov, who works for Warner Brothers in Los Angeles. They shot the film in just one week in Plovdiv. It premiered in October 2023 at the Bulgarian Embassy in Rome. We remind you that the tape received a special prize from “Archeofilm” – the forum organized by Archeologia Viva (Giunti Editore).
“The first opportunity to get to know your wonderful city was precisely during the “Archeofilm” festival that year. in Florence – stressed Giudita Prunetti. “This happened thanks to Mr. Miroslav Stamov and director Boris Slavchev, who works in Rome, Italy. After seeing the film of the two Bulgarians, we decided that Plovdiv should also host the Florentine festival. So, today we officially inform you about the entry of “Archeofilm” in Plovdiv. This is a very important festival that will make Plovdiv enter the framework of this organization of cities and festivals that show our common history. We are currently specifying the location of the festival under the hills,” Prunetti added.
“Congratulations to the film’s team for the success. The initiative to hold a film festival like “Archeofilm” in Plovdiv in the future is wonderful, but our city deserves it! – Prof. Elena Kantareva-Decheva, director of OI “Old Plovdiv” told the guests.
“The idea is that ‘Archeofilm’ will take place in the City of the Hills every year and thus give an arena to films shot all over the world. The theme remains unchanged and it is archaeology, art and the environment,” explained businessman Miroslav Stamov. His Rome Foundation will be the main organizer of the event.
Judita Prunetti: We are delighted with the beauty of Plovdiv, we are still looking for the exact location for the festival
“Archeofilm” in Florence is very closely related to “Archeologia Viva” (“Living Archeology”) – the first major Italian archaeological magazine, founded in 1982 by Piero Prunetti. The magazine covers topics from prehistory to the modern era, traversing the various cultures of the planet, with particular attention to the civilizations of the Mediterranean.
The heiress of the family, Giudita Prunetti, explained that it was the prestigious magazine behind the Florentine film festival “Archeofilm”, which has been held for six years. “Every year in Florence we select films from around the world on topics related to ancient and modern archaeology. After that, these films are also shown by other cities and festivals around the world and start to be visited. Now, thanks to the fact that we chose a Bulgarian film – “Ancient Roman Plovdiv” – we decided to increase the number of our partners and attract your city. We liked Plovdiv, we are so enraptured by its beauty that we don’t know where exactly the location of the future film festival should be. We did the first inspection of the places. Our expectations are that Plovdiv, just like Florence, will attract a diverse audience – from ordinary citizens and their families to cinema fans and specialists in the area,” Giudita Prunetti told “Maritsa”.
