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Letter to America (Pismo do Amerika, 2001) Director: Iglika Triffonova Presentation: Letter to America is a journey into the innermost depths of the human heart, revealing that it is home to passion, friendship, and most of all hope. When the aspiring director Kamen left Bulgaria to work in New York, Ivan, a passionate young writer, thought that he’d lost his best friend. Ivan wanted to go, but chose to remain in their home of Sofia with his beloved girlfriend Nina. Now, as Kamen lies dying from a car accident half a world away, Ivan is determined to prove that something as simple as a bit of kindness can save someone from death. The journey won’t be an easy one, though. Letter to America is a heart-warming story of friendship and determination. It shows that even the harshest restrictions on immigration are powerless to stop people whose passions are strong enough. Without an American visa, Ivan hitch-hikes across Bulgaria, armed with only a video camera, searching for a song that, according to Bulgarian folklore, can raise the dead. Ivan may not be able to be with his friend in body, but he knows that if he can just get this song to him, Kamen’s life will be saved. Selected as the Bulgarian option for the Oscars in 2001, Letters to America explores friendship, sanity, myth, faith, inspiration, death, life and hope. Synopsis: Ivan's (Phillip Avramov) best friend, Kamen (Peter Antonov), is dying in an American hospital. Ivan, denied a visa to travel to the United States, can’t even stay by his best friend’s side. Unwilling to give up, he decides to set off for Bulgaria countryside, taking the camera that Kamen gave him long ago. Throughout his journey he writes her a very special letter, telling all about the places and characters he meets on his way, bearing witnesses to a magical time that is soon to be forgotten.Trivia: • Director Iglika Triffonova was awarded 9 national prizes, including the nomination for the 2001 Academy awards for Best Foreign film. He was selected by over 45 international festivals for Letter to America.• Iglika lives in Sofia with her husband, the actor Hristo Gurbov, who also plays the husband in The Investigation. |
