Sundance 2019: TONISLAV HRISTOV'S 'THE MAGIC LIFE OF V' TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IN WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION STARTING FRIDAY, JANUARY 25
http://www.sundance.org/projects/the-magic-life-of-v An intimate and beautiful film about a young woman who is using the magic of LARPing (live action role-playing) to address childhood trauma, protect and bring normalcy for her disabled brother, and become the hero of her own story.
ABOUT THE FILM Wizards, magic spells, and heroic sword battles are just fantasy for some, but for Veera they’re a meaningful part of conquering her inner trauma. When Veera transforms into her LARP (live-action role-play) persona V, the game’s fantasy-battlefields give her a space to combat her psychological turmoil. Tormented by her past, Veera finds in LARPing the support and solace she needs to become the hero of her own story. Tonislav Hristov’s elegant film is an intimate representation of an epic emotional journey. Wielding a tight camera, Hristov deftly translates Veera’s internal struggle into nuanced cinematic moments. Images of Veera traversing snowy landscapes offer transitional reprieve between her battlegrounds. Flashes from home videos offer impressionistic glimpses into her childhood. Discussions about her alcoholic and abusive father are a source of tension between Veera and her disabled brother Ville, whom she cares for. Therapy sessions slowly reveal the complexities of Veera’s struggle. Yet remembering and speaking about these memories goes only so far—Veera will need V’s courage if she’s going to confront her most intimidating challenge of all. – Adapted from the Sundance Film Festival Program 87 minutes • Finland/Denmark/Bulgaria • English and Finnish
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT “I’ve always been interested in the line between fact and fiction. In what way are people in documentaries real, or how much are they just playing a role they believe to be themselves? Does the camera make them act like the person they would want to be? Where’s the line between “a real character” and a role? When I met Veera, the main character of The Magic Life of V, I understood immediately both the cinematic and ‘philosophical’ potential of the subject. For once I could move freely from fact to fiction without ethical dilemmas because this is one of the subjects of the film; just as my characters do themselves in order to cope with their everyday lives.” – Tonislav Hristov, Director
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Tonislav Hristov was born in Vraza, Bulgaria in 1978. He studied engineering at the Technical University of Ruse. In 2003 he moved to Helsinki, Finland and started to study film. THE MAGIC LIFE OF V is his sixth feature-length documentary. His previous documentary, THE GOOD POSTMAN, premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in the feature-length competition 2016 and was also screened at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition in 2017. It was nominated for the European Film Award (Europe’s Oscar) in 2017. His work (including) has been shown at Sundance, Tribeca, Karlovy Var, Sarajevo Film Festivals, IDFA, Hot Docs, Visions du Réel Nyon, Busan International Film Festival, among other festivals worldwide. PUBLIC SCREENINGS AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL Friday, January 25 at 2:45 pm – Egyptian Theatre Saturday, January 26 at 6:00 pm – Salt Lake City Library Theatre Sunday, January 27 at 3:00 pm – Redstone Cinema 7 Thursday, January 31 at 9:00 am – Park Avenue Theatre Friday, February 1 at 12:00 pm – Holiday Village Cinema 2 PRESS & INDUSTRY SCREENING AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL Monday, January 28 at 3:30 pm – Holiday Village Cinema 3 http://www.sundance.org/projects/the-magic-life-of-v SELECT CREDITS Director: Tonislav Hristov Screenwriter: Tonislav Hristov, Kaarle Aho Producers: Kaarle Aho, Kai Nordberg Co Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andrea Stanoeva Director of Photography: Alexander Stanishev Editors: Anne Jünemann, Tonislav Hristov Composer: Petar Dundakov Sound Design: Jacques Pedersen