28-03-2023

FESTIVALS: Anniversary Sofia Meetings Announces Awards

By
    Martin Kisselov at Sofia Meetings Martin Kisselov at Sofia Meetings credit: Sofia Meetings

    SOFIA: The 20th edition of Sofia Meetings, which was held within the 27th Sofia IFF 23 -26 March 2023, announced its awards. Six prizes were decided after the event, and another three will be announced later during the year.

    João Nuno Pinto and Fernanda Polacow’s Portuguese/Brazilian coproduction The Last Summer was chosen for the 25,000 EUR postproduction services Cinelab Romania Award.

    The 10,000 EUR postproduction services award offered by Hungary’s Focusfox Studio went to Drowning Dry directed by Laurynas Bareisa.

    Italian Jauneet Bleu directed by Giulia Grandinetti and Bulgarian Resonance directed by Yordan Petkov will benefit from 5,000 EUR each for different marketing approaches and audience analysis costs.

    EastWest Filmdistribution chose Bulgaria’s Dissonance directed by Berlin-based Elitza Petkova for the award consisting of script consultancy with Irish-American script doctor/writer Steven Goldsmith.

    Georgia’s Worker directed by Giorgi Kobalia won the Young Producer Award of Turkey’s Yapimlab consisting of project consultancy in Istanbul and network possibilities within the Turkish film industry equal to 5,000 EUR.

    Greece‘s Crossroads Coproduction Forum and Mediterranean Film Institute will select the projects for their awards at a later stage. The Cannes Market Producers Network will also offer an accreditation during the forthcoming 2023 Cannes Market.

    This year the Work in Progress selection included 28 fiction films of which three were short films.

    LIST OF AWARDS:

    Cinelab Romania Award (25,000 EUR in postproduction services):
    The Last Summer (Portugal, Brazil)
    Directed by João Nuno Pinto

    Focusfox Studio (Hungary) Award (10,000 EUR in postproduction services):
    Drowning Dry (Lithuania, Latvia)  
    Directed by Laurynas Bareisa
    Produced by Afterschool
    Coproduced by Trickster Pictures

    Gruvi Awards (for two projects worth 5,000 EUR each, covering marketing Ad technology, including audience analysis, landing page design, real-time tracking, a GDS report and advanced media planning to reach and approach audiences):

    Jauneet Bleu (Italy)  
    Directed by Giulia Grandinetti

    Resonance (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Yordan Petkov
    Produced by Garti Films
    Coproduced by Portokal

    EastWest Filmdistribution Award (script consultancy with Steven Goldsmith, equal to 5,000 EUR):
    Dissonance (Bulgaria, Germany)
    Directed by Eliza Petkova
    Produced by Red Carpet

    Young Producer Award of Yapimlab (Turkey) (project consultancy in Istanbul and network possibilities within the Turkish film industry equal to 5,000 EUR):
    Worker (Georgia)
    Directed by Giorgi Kobalia
    Produced by Film Asylum