Protesters Attempt to Halt Screening of Award-Winning Film at Odeon Cinema

Another protest blocks the Odeon cinema tonight. The film The Blue Caftan (Le bleu du caftan, 2022, France/Morocco/Belgium/Denmark) by Mariam Touzani is being screened inside. Starring: Lyubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Misui.

The film tells the story of Halim and Mina, who run a traditional kaftan shop in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. In order to cope with the demanding customers, they hire a talented young man as an apprentice. Mina gradually realizes how much her husband is excited by his presence.

The cinema is locked from the inside, and no one can get in or out.

The protesters are not wearing “Vazrazhdane” shirts this time, a BGNES reporter saw.

“We are protesting against young children watching films with sex between young children. This is exactly what is happening inside the Odeon cinema, and it is with the blessing of MPs from PP, DB and other public figures”, said Boris Tsankov, part of the protesters, for BGNES.

“There were at least 13 children here who were between 13-15 years old. It is not normal. At the same time, the gentlemen of gender ideology insult us. We are not from “Vazrazhdane”, we are ordinary citizens, and we do not want this to happen to our children. Now there is a propaganda that is making its way in Bulgaria, and it must be stopped in time”, said the protester.

There are also people standing in front of the Odeon cinema who are in support of the projected film. Velislav Velichkov from “Justice for Everyone” specified that “we are witnessing the consequences” of yesterday. “I come from the mountains, I was there with my child, and now I come here to make sure that people can safely watch a European film with awards. Because of the tension, the screening was canceled yesterday, and today many people came to ensure that those who bought a ticket could watch the cinema in peace”, said Velislav Velichkov. “If any party is going to allow and ban screenings, we are going back to the times of Nazism in Germany, or to the times of communism in the USSR. Obviously someone wants to bring those times back, we won’t allow it because civil rights are the same for everyone. Cinema cannot be restricted for political reasons. Thank God the screening started today, there is some kind of 5-man campaign here, I don’t want to qualify them, but apparently they don’t know why they are here. I asked them if they had seen the film, they said “no” – then why are they protesting”, stressed Velislav Velichkov.