– Ondřej Provazník’s movie has clinched the Sofia City of Film Award, while Ralitza Petrova took home the Best Director gong for Lust
Director Ralitza Petrova with her Best Director Award for Lust (© Ivan Donchev/Sofia International Film Festival)
On Saturday evening, the 30th Sofia International Film Festival handed out its anniversary-edition awards, as is customary, in the National Palace of Culture. The festival’s international jury, composed of directors György Pálfi (jury chair), Matteo Zoppis, Yana Titova, Pavel G Vesnakov and Ukrainian writer-director Zhanna Ozirna, whose film Honeymoon [+see also:
film review
interview: Zhanna Ozirna
film profile] won last year’s award, handed the most prestigious Sofia City of Film Award to Ondřej Provazník’s Broken Voices [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ondřej Provazník
film profile] (Czech Republic/Slovakia). The jury statement praises the film “for its powerful and truthful depiction of concealed realities, its exceptionally precise and sensitive direction of actors, its carefully assembled cast, the subtle yet deeply compelling performances, and its richly evocative and authentic recreation of time and atmosphere”. The film also received the FIPRESCI Award.
The Special Jury Award went to The Condor Daughter (Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay) by Álvaro Olmos Torrico. Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova was named Best Director for her movie Lust [+see also:
film review
interview: Ralitza Petrova
film profile] (Bulgaria/Denmark/Sweden). A Special Mention was given to actress Maria Petrova for her role in Myrsini Aristidou’s Hold Onto Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Myrsini Aristidou
film profile] (Cyprus/Denmark/Greece).
The festival’s Balkan jury, composed of director John Paul Davidson, film critic Andrei Plakhov and producer Vanya Rainova, rewarded Teona Strugar Mitevska’s Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] (North Macedonia/Sweden/Belgium/Denmark/Bosnia and Herzegovina) and gave a Special Mention to God Will Not Help [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hana Jušić
film profile] (Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia) by Croatian helmer Hana Jušić.
In the International Documentary Competition, the big winner was Trillion by Viktor Kossakovsky, rewarded by a jury composed of director Vitaly Mansky, festival selector Stefan Uhrik and director Eldora Traykova for being a “highly conceptual film with powerful images and outstanding cinematography”. The Documentary Competition jury also awarded a Special Mention to A Fox Under a Pink Moon (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark) by Mehrdad Oskouei.
For the second year in a row, a jury of festival programmers – Mihai Chililov (programmer, Transilvania IFF), Dimitris Kerkinos (programmer, Thessaloniki IFF) and Bernd Buder (artistic director of FilmFestival Cottbus) – handed out an accolade, this time crowning Alexander Kossev’s Women Out of Order (Bulgaria) as Best Bulgarian Feature. Another feature set in Bulgaria, Nina Roza [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Geneviève Dulude-de Celles
film profile] (Canada/Italy/Bulgaria/Belgium) by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, won the Audience Award.
The full list of award winners is as follows:
Sofia City of Film Award
Broken Voices [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ondřej Provazník
film profile] – Ondřej Provazník (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Special Jury Award
The Condor Daughter – Álvaro Olmos Torrico (Bolivia/Uruguay/Peru)
Best Director
Ralitza Petrova – Lust [+see also:
film review
interview: Ralitza Petrova
film profile] (Bulgaria/Sweden/Denmark)
Special Mention
Maria Petrova – Hold on to Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Myrsini Aristidou
film profile] (Cyprus/Denmark/Greece)
Best Bulgarian Short Film
Balconada – Iva Tokmakchieva (Bulgaria/France)
Best Balkan Film
Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] – Teona Strugar Mitevska (North Macedonia/Sweden/Belgium/Denmark/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Special Mention
God Will Not Help [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hana Jušić
film profile] – Hana Jušić (Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia)
Best Documentary
Trillion – Viktor Kossakovsky (USA/Norway)
Special Mention
A Fox Under a Pink Moon – Mehrdad Oskouei (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark)
Best Bulgarian Feature Film
Women Out of Order – Alexander Kossev (Bulgaria)
FIPRESCI Award
Broken Voices – Ondřej Provazník
Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
Made in EU [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] – Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany/Czech Republic)
Audience Award
Nina Roza [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Geneviève Dulude-de Celles
film profile] – Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (Canada/Italy/Bulgaria/Belgium)
Young Jury Award
The Condor Daughter – Álvaro Olmos Torrico
Best Teen Film
Atlas of the Universe [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Paul Negoescu (Romania/Bulgaria)
FIPRESCI Platinum Award
Jafar Panahi, director (Iran)
Sofia Award for Contribution to the Art of Film
Emil Christov, cinematographer and director (Bulgaria)
Ivaylo Hristov, actor and director (Bulgaria)
Jan Englert, actor and director (Poland)
Special Award of the Sofia International Film Festival
Arnaud Desplechin, director (France)
György Pálfi, director (Hungary)
David Mackenzie, director (UK)
