Bulgaria’s writers / directors Svetla Tsotsorkova and Svetoslav Ovcharov, who presented Fortune-Teller won the Cinelab Romania award, consisting of post-production services equal to 25,000 Euro. The story of a young gypsy woman with three children, who starts predicting people’s future for money, impressed the jury with its “specific social practices and stereotypes within the culture it portrays”. Tsotsorkova, who has already shot a documentary in a village inhabited by Bulgarians, Turks and Gypsies, will direct the film that will be coproduced by Front Film and Omega Films.
Switzerland’s Party For Shy People won the Focusfox Studio (Hungary) award consisting of post-production services equal to 10,000 EUR. Written by Simone Schmid and Francesco Rizzi, and directed by Francesco Rizzi the project, presented as a grotesque and a sharp black comedy taking place in the near future, was judged as an original “absurdist look on the phenomenon of shyness”. Switzerland’s Cinédokké and 8 horses are coproducing.
Eastwest Filmdistribution chose Vampirism for its script consultancy award with Irish-American script doctor Steven Goldsmith equal to 5,000 Euro. Spain‘s director Antonio Morales wrote the script mixing horror and flamenco music with exceptional landscape at the Andalusian desert. Antonio Morales PC is producing.
The Yapimlab award (Young Producer award) went to Shipbuilding. The Sarajevo based writer / director Zulfikar Filandra and producer Ishak Jalimam will be offered a week of consultancy in Istanbul, covering travel and accommodation and presenting networking possibilities within the Turkish industry, equal to 5,000 Euro. The low budget film will be produced by B&H’s Realstage.
Two Bulgarian projects received awards related to the Berlinale Villa Kult: Zornitsa Sophia’s 3 Kilograms Of Happiness, co-written with Viktoria Penkova and Petar Delchev, received the Berlinale Residency 2021 award, and Milena Andonova’s Kiril’s Luck, co-written with Simeon Ventsislavov, received the Special award.
LIST OF AWARDS:
Cinelab Romania Award (25,000 Euro in postproduction services):
The Fortune Teller (Bulgaria)
Directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova
Produced by Front Film / Omega Film
Focusfox Studio (Hungary) Award (10,000 EUR in post production services):
Party For Shy People (Switzerland)
Directed by Francesco Rizzi
Produced Cinédokké and 8 horses
EastWest Filmdistribution Award (script consultancy with Steven Goldsmith, equal of 5,000 Euro):
Vampirism (Spain)
Directed by Antonio Morales
Produced by Antonio Morales PC
Young Producer Award of Yapimlab (Turkey) (project consultancy in Istanbul and network possibilities within Turkish industry equal of 5,000 Euro):
Shipbuilding (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Directed by Zulfikar Filra
Produced by Realstage
Villa Kult Residency Award (coverage of travel and accommodation costs for a 5-day visit in Berlin):
3 Kilograms Of Happiness (Bulgaria)
Directed by Zornitsa Sophia
Produced by MQ Pictures
Villa Kult Special Award:
Kiril’s Luck (Bulgaria)
Directed by Milena Andonovra
Produced by Kern Film
Expected awards
Mediterranean Film Institute Award
will present a scholarship to one of the projects selected from Sofia Meetings to participate in MFI Script 2 Film Workshops
Crossroads will select and present one of the projects from Sofia Meetings
Producers Network will award accreditation for Producers Network at the Cannes Market
