2020 is an anniversary year - we are celebrating 75 years since the Victory over fascism.

On this occasion in the beginning of January a cinema panorama dedicated to the Great Patriotic War started in the Russian Cultural and Information Center in Sofia. It will continue throughout the year, and every Thursday at 6.30 pm films will be screened in the Small Hall, reflecting the tragic and heroic events of that time. Admission is free.

As the RCIC press release says about the Panorama, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Victory, in the Great Patriotic War: "It is a Day that elevates us because it enables us to be proud of the deeds of our fathers and grandfathers; to once again worship those who have defended our freedom, honor and dignity, the right to live, to work, to enjoy and to create for the good of the Fatherland.

Russians and Ukrainians, Belarusians and Moldovans, Georgians and Uzbeks, the peoples of the Soviet Union and many European countries fought side by side against fascism. By finding the second front, our allies, the United States and the United Kingdom, have helped accelerate and approach the date, which is a great day for everyone today".

The films included in the program of the cinema show the difficult stages of the first days of the war, the moments of its development, the joy of the Victory... Among them there are films shot literally during the first days of the war; there are films made during the Soviet period; and there is also the latest Russian cinema. Some are from world-renowned directors such as Mikhail Romm, Sergei Bondarchuk, Yuri Ozerov, Elem Klimov, Larisa Shepitko, Mikhail Kalatozov, while others are of lesser-known directors. Many of the films have won prestigious awards at Russian and international film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, San Francisco and others. Included are also films that will be shown for the first time to the Bulgarian audience.