Alexander Kossev’s debut feature Petya of My Petya (BOF Pictures / Concept Studio), a film dedicated to the memory of the early deceased cult poet Petya Dubarova, will open the festival.
Seven of the titles from the International Competition come from CEE and Balkan countries, including Viktor Chouchkov, Jr.’s 18% Gray and Svetla Tsotsorkova’s Sister, which was awarded Best Film at the 29th Film Festival Cottbus.
A Fish Swimming Upside Down by Berlin-based Bulgarian director Eliza Petkova and Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness by Iranian director Massoud Bakhshi (shot by Bulgaria’s Julian Atanassov and winner of the Grand Jury Award for International Dramatic Film at Sundance Film Festival 2020) are also part of the International Competition.
The Balkan Competition is composed of 12 new feature films from the region, including Kristina Grozeva’s and Petar Valchanov’s The Father (produced by Abraxas Film and coproduced by Graal Films), which was awarded the Crystal Globe at the 54th KVIFF.
A total of 21 new Bulgarian feature films and five documentaries will have their premiere in the festival, while the Bulgarian Short Competition consists of 13 titles.
Atom Egoyan will be a special guest of the festival, while Agnieszka Holland will receive the FIPRESCI 94 Platinum Award.
International Competition:
18% Grey (Bulgaria, Germany, Serbia, North Macedonia, Belgium)
Directed by Viktor Chouchkov, Jr.
Produced by The Chouchkov Brothers
Coproduced by Ostlicht Filmproduktion, Cinnamon Films, Sektor Film, Raised by Wolves, the Bulgarian National Television
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, MDM, Film Center Serbia, the North Macedonia Film Agency, Creative Europe Programme – MEDIA
How to Fake a War (UK)
Directed by Rudolph Herzog
Cleo (Belgium)
Directed by Eva Cools
A Simple Man (Greece)
Directed by Tasos Gerakinis
Send Me to the Clouds (China)
Directed by Congcong Teng
Steppe (Turkey)
Directed by Ali Özel
A Fish Swimming Upside Down (Germany)
Directed by Eliza Petkova
Motherland (Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Greece)
Directed by Tomas Vengris
Produced by Studio Uljana Kim
Coproduced by Locomotive Productions, Heimat Hafen Films, Faliro House
Supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre, the National Film Center of Latvia, Eurimages, Creative Europe Programme – MEDIA
Sister (Bulgaria, Qatar)
Directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova
Produced by Omega Films
Coproduced by the Doha Film Institute
Nocturnal (UK)
Directed by Nathalie Biancheri
Those Who Remained (Hungary)
Directed by Barnabás Tóth
Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness (France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Iran, Lebanon)
Directed by Massoud Bakhshi
