SOFIA: Petar Valchanov and Kristina Grozeva’s Bulgarian/Greek coproduction Black Money for White Nights has been acquired by Cercamon ahead of its world premiere in the Official Competition of the 2026 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (3 – 11 July 2026).
The Bulgarian directing duo, winners of the Crystal Globe in 2019, return to Karlovy Vary with a tragicomic portrait of a generation forced to reassess its values while questioning the notions of right and wrong in post-Soviet society.
Set against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the story follows Marina, 60, and her husband Gosha, who have spent years saving money from the small bribes they routinely collect. As they prepare for their dream trip to St. Petersburg to experience the White Nights, the travel agency handling their booking disappears with all their savings. The loss shatters not only their long-awaited plans but also their sense of moral certainty and the foundations of their relationship.
Shot in Bulgaria, the film stars Tanya Shahova, Ivan Savov, Margita Gosheva, Ivan Barnev and Sibila Petrova.
Black Money for White Nights was produced by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov through Abraxas Film in coproduction with Konstantina Stavrianou and Irini Vougioukalou through Graal Films, the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT).
The project received support from the Bulgarian National Film Center, and the Greek Film Center.
Production Information:
Producer :
Abraxas Film (Bulgaria)
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Coproducer:
Graal Films (Greece)
Credits:
Directors: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
Scriptwriters: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Decho Taralezhkov
DoP: Alexander Stanishev
Composer: Theodore Oikonomou
Production designer: Ivelina Mineva
Sound designer: Ivan Andreev, Kostas Varympopiotis
Editor: Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Cast: Tanya Shahova, Ivan Savov, Margita Gosheva, Ivan Barnev, Sibila Petrova
