This year Bulgaria is celebrating 100 years of Bulgarian Cinema and special programmes of both new and classic Bulgarian films were screened. There was also a special focus Georgian film. The festival continues in other cities around Bulgaria until 29 March 2015.
The festival is organized by Art Fest with the help of the Municipality of Sofia and in partnership with the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, the National Palace of Culture, the National Film Center and the Bulgarian National Television with the support of the MEDIA programme of the European Commission.
International Competition for First and Second Films
Grand Prix:
The Lesson (Bulgaria, Greece)
Directed by Cristalina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov
Production: Abraxas Film
Coproduction: Graal Film
Supported by ZDF, American Foundation for Bulgaria, Central Cooperative Union, Bulgarian National Film Centre
Special Jury Award
We’re Young, We’re Strong (Germany)
Directed by Burhan Qurbani
Best Director
For Some Inexplicable Reasons (Hungary)
Directed by Gabor Reisz
Best Bulgarian Feature Film
The Lesson (Bulgaria, Greece)
Directed by Kristina, Grozeva and Petar Valchanov
Jameson Award for Best Bulgarian Short Film
Ginka (Bulgaria)
Directed by Antonia Milcheva
Jameson Special Mention
Enemies (Bulgaria)
Directed by Hristo Simeonov
Millenium Best Documentary Award
The Look of Silence (Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Norway, UK)
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Special Mention Documentary
Naked Island / Goli (Croatia)
Directed by Tiha K. Gudac
Produced by Factum
Coproduced by Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT), Zagreb Film
Supported by Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Audience Award
The Lesson (Bulgaria, Greece)
Directed by directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov
Domaine Boyar Award for Best Balkan Film
Come to My Voice (Turkey, France, Germany)
Directed by Huseyin Karabey
Bulgarian Film Critics Guild and UBFM Award for Best Balkan Film
Why Me? (Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary)
Directed by Tudor Giurgiu
Produced by Libra Film in coproduction with Romania’s Hai-Hui Entertainment, Bulgaria’s Chouchkov Brothers and Hungary’s Cor Leonis Films
Supported by the Romanian National Film Centre, the Bulgarian National Film Center , Eurimages, MEDIA Programme, SEE Cinema Network, HBO Romania
Sales: Transilvania Film , Heretic Outreach
FIPRESCI Award
The Lesson (Bulgaria, Greece)
Directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov
The Young Jury Award
Borderless (Iran)
Directed by Amirhossein Asgari
The Sofia Award for contribution to world cinema was presented to:
Ivan Ivanov, actor (Bulgaria)
Franco Nero, actor (Italy)
In memoriam of Karl ‘Baumi’ Baumgartner, producer (Germany)
Nana Djordjadze, director (Georgia)
