Prof. Dr. Bozhidar Manov is internationally recognized Bulgarian film critic and journalist (Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, Kino magazine etc). Between 2011-2013 he is a Dean of the Cinema Faculty at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts and currently lecturer in the New Bulgarian University. Member of the National Film Board, Bulgaria (2004-2010), Board member of the National Fund “Culture”, Bulgaria (2005-2009), Vice-President of FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Federation, 2001-2005) and Member of European Film Academy. Prof. Dr. Bozhidar Manov multiple has been president and member of international juries at film festivals in Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Pusan, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, Valladolid, Palm Springs, Wiesbaden, Gothenburg etc. He has an author of hundreds of publications in Bulgarian and foreign press and 7 books.
“Култура” (2005-2009), Вицепрезидент на ФИПРЕССИ (Международна федерация на филмовите критици, 2001-2005) и Член на Европейската филмова академия. Многократно член и председател на международни
PROF. DR. EMILIYA STOEVA
Prof. Dr Emiliya Stoeva is а well-known cinematographer, lecturer and professor. Since 2015 she is the Honorary President of the Association Academika 21 in Bulgaria. She has been a lecturer in Bulgaria and abroad. An Associated Professor of Photography, Commercial and Music Video cinematography and Feature film cinematography in the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria. Coordinator for international relations, NATFA. General Manager in a Commercial Company, cinematographer of over 30 documentary and scientific films. Prof. Dr. Stoeva has organized a lot of film seminars and other promotional film events. She wrote more than 40 articles for magazines and newspapers on topics in the problems of documentary filmmaking, student filmmaking and cinematography. She is an author of several books and researches in filming.
клипове в Националната академия за театрално и филмово изкуство, България. Координатор международни отношения в НАТФИЗ. Главен мениджър в рекламна компания, оператор на повече от 30 документални и научно-популярни филма. Проф. д-р Емилия Стоева е организирала множество филмови семинари и други филмови събития. Написала е повече от 40 статии, предимно за вестници и списания, върху проблемите на Производството на документалното и студентско и операторското майсторство. Автор е на няколко книги и изследвания в областта на филмопроизводството.
KAMEN BALKANSKI
КАМЕН
Holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. From 1997 to 2002 he was the executive director of the Soros Centre for the Arts Foundation (being responsible for the financial and programme planning, as well as for the cooperation with Bulgarian and international cultural organizations and NGOs).
From 2002 to 2003, he was the associate lecturer at the National Art Academy in Sofia. The same year – 2002 – he became the administrative director of MM television, and from 2004 to 2006, with the same broadcaster, he became the advisor to the CEO. In 2004 he was appointed to the position of the Head of MEDIA Desk Bulgaria, and in 2015 as the acting director of the Bulgarian National Film Centre (2015-2017).At present he is head of the Creative Europe MEDIA desk in Bulgaria.
MARIN DAMYANOV
Marin Damyanov was born on August 24 1955 in Sofia. He is a cinema writer and novelist who manifests mainly in the field of crime genres. Marin Damyanov has PhD in Dramaturgy with a thesis on “Use of Modern Psychological Theories of the Unconscious in Dramatic Texts” ( National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria , 2008) and associate professor of screenwriting (National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria , 2012). He has worked as an editor in Boyana Film Studios (1987-1989), as a professor at Southwestern University Neophyte Rilski , and as a teacher.
PROF. MAYA DIMITROVA
ПРОФ. Д.Н. МАЯ
Maya Dimitrova Professor, Doctor of Sciences, is a senior scientific researcher in the institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Department for Film and Screen Media. She lectures History of Cinema, Film Analyses and Cinema as Mass Media at the National Academy of Theatre and Film art and New Bulgarian University in Sofia. She is now head of Department of Film Criticism and Dramaturgy at NATFA – Sofia. Dimitrova writes studies on film theory, history and criticism for scientific and specialized issues. Her monographic book “Cinema des Auteurs” is published in 1995 and her theoretic study “Metamorphosis in Communication Autor – Screen – Viewer” – in 2007.
PROF. NADEZHDA MARINCHEVSKA
Prof. Nadezhda Marinchevska works at the Institute of Art Studies; Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She teaches History and Theory of Animation and Animation Screenwriting at the National Academy of Theater and Film and Audiovisual Language at New Bulgarian University. Nadezhda Marinchevska is a researcher in the field of cinema and television and animation. She wrote monographs and scientific articles. From 2007 to 2014 she was the Head of Film and Television department of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She was in charge with the organization and management of the department`s activities. Since 2015 she is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Art Studies. Prof. Marinchevska is a member of many scientific juries for awarding academic titles. She has been participating as an expert in many National Commissions of Animated Cinema at the National Film Center. International film festivals Jury member: Annecy (2004, 2008), Leipzig (2006), Krakow (2007), Athens (2008), Sarajevo (2009), Golden Kuker - Sofia (2010), Gabrovo (2011). Member of the International Commission of SAS (Society for Animation Studies) - assigned McLaren-Lambart Prize to the best academic research in Animated Film in 2006-2007. She is an editor of several academic books on cinematography and specialized publications - collections and film magazines.
SVETOSLAV DRAGANOV
Svetoslav Draganov is a Bulgarian filmmaker born in 1976. His works as an author, director and producer are MDR award winner at Leipzig Dokfilm festival, 2001- Life is Wonderful, isn’t it?, The Merry Boys - IDFA 2003, Young at Heart winner of special Prix Europa 2003, Amateurs - Golden Rhyton for the best Bulgarian documentary of 2005, Life Almost Wonderful - 2013 - IDFA 2013- feature length competition and special mentions at ZagrebDox 2014 and Sofia Film Fest at 2014. Smiren / Humble is his first fiction film.
TSANKO VASILEV
Tsanko Vasilev holds a Master degree in Cultural Management and Audiovisual Communication and a Bachelor degree in Cinema and TV Directing. He is a sought lecturer for many festivals in Bulgaria and abroad. He has led various educational programs for young film professionals in film producing, creative industries and entrepreneurship.
Tsanko Vasilev is a producer of shorts, feature films, documentaries and music videos and also is the founder and director of IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival (Bulgaria), Filmer Forge programme for professional development of young filmmakers and pitching session to support new short films` production. He is a co-founder and board member of the Bulgarian Festival Association. He has been a jury member for a number of festivals in Europe and beyond.
листи по филмово продуцентство, творчески
културно предприемачество. Цанко Василев е продуцент на късометражни, пълнометражни и документални филми и музикални клипове. Той е основател и директор на IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival, професионалната програмата
света.
VESSELA DANTCHEVA
Vessela Dantcheva is animation professional since her graduation in animation in 2002. She is a co-founder of Compote Collective production studio. During the past 12 years she develops, directs and produces independent animation films, many of which are highly valued in the international animation industry. She is often a jury member at international festivals and pitching events. She is a lecturer in animation studies at National Academy of Arts and New Bulgarian University, Sofia.
SILVER PRINCESS COMPETITION
BEST FICTION FILM CATEGORY
France/2020/11`06``
Director: Joseph Catté
Writer: Joseph Catté
Cinematography: Valentin Astier
Composer: Kara Square, Benjamin Blatière
Editor: Joseph Catté
Producer: Joseph Catté
Cast: Thomas Alden, Pauline Helly, Nouritza Emmanuelian, Cynthia Curto
Max and Julie are very much in love. Julie is rather jealous but Max knows nobody’s perfect. Certainly not himself. Ad Lib is a romantic drama in the world of karaoke. A multi-faceted short movie, a story of appearances.
Joseph Catté is a french writer-director, born in 1991. Concurrently with a career in visual effects, he creates many short movies, selected in numerous international festivals. Exploring different genres, he directed a beach party movie, a gory adaptation of a play, a crazy comedy, a drama and a supernatural thriller. His universes, often colorful and off the wall, rely on thorough visuals and eclectic influences.
Finland/2019/14`58`` Финландия/2019/14`58``
Kalervo has felt powerless all his life, unable to fight back, until Annukka - a woman who loves him - gives Kalervo a life altering gift. Like with many of director Nikki’s works, All Inclusive can be interpreted in many ways, but at the core it’s a film about power, love and change. If you could right the wrongs in your life, would you, and would you stop there?
Teemu Nikki, born in 1975, is a prolific self-educated, award-winning filmmaker and son of a pig-farmer from Sysmä, Finland. His latest feature film, Euthanizer, has been a festival success and was Finland’s official Oscar entry film for 2019 The Academy Awards. Nikki has also directed numerous short films which have gained recognition at film festivals all around the world and popular tv-series. Nikki’s style is best described as a good-willed yet unapologetic political satire of humanity.
Director: Teemu Nikki
Writer: Teemu Nikki Cinematography: Jarmo Kiuru Composer: Janne Huttunen
Editor: Teemu Nikki Producer: Jani Pösö, Teemu Nikki Cast: Lauri Maijala, Hannamaija Nikander, Maija Rissanen, Santtu Karvonen
ANNA
Ukraine/UK/Israel/2019/15`19``
Украйна/Великобритания/Израел/2019/15`19``
Director: Dekel Berenson
Writer: Dekel Berenson
Cinematography: Vova Ivanov
Editor: Yegor Troyanovsky
Producer: Merlin Merton, Vitaliy Shermetiev, Olga Beskhmelnytsina
Cast: Svetlana Barandich, Anastasia Vyazovskaya, Eric R. Gilliatt, Alina Chornogub, Liana Khobelia, Istan Rozumny, Pavel Levitsky
Оператор: Вова Иванов Монтаж: Егор Трояновски Продуцент: Мерлин
Гилиат,
Черногуб,
Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine Anna is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love.
Dekel Berenson is an award-winning Israeli filmmaker and storyteller currently based in London. After completing a mandatory three-year service in the Israeli Defence Forces, he obtained a Master’s degree in International Relations and European Studies and traveled the world as a human and environmental rights activist. Over the past three years, he has combined his two passions, making artistic films of high quality that bring light to real-world social and humanitarian issues. His 3rd film, Anna, premiered in competition at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.
A couple is trying to reach freedom out of besieged town. On their way out stands barricaded with unfriendly soldiers.
Ognjen Petković was born in Vukovar, Croatia in 1986. He graduated acting at Academy of Arts, Novi Sad, Serbia in 2008. In 2015 he enrolled Phd in Audiovisual Arts at Novi Sad Academy. He made several short fiction, experimental and documentary movies, such as: Three Points (2011), Qatar (2014), Hands (2016), Love (2017), Crocodile (Postproduction), Hide and Seek (2018), Autmn Waltz (2019). With his short film Love he was at many international festivals, and won three awards, two for best movie and one for best screenplay. At the moment he is working on feature documentary Sounds of Silence
Director: Ognjen Petković
Writer: Ognjen Petković
Cinematography: Aleksandar Ramadanović
Composer: Todor Zurzovan
Editor: Ognjen Petković
Producer: Michael Vukadinovich, Aleksandra Lazarovski
Cast: Jovo Maksić, Tanja Pjevac, Marjan Apostolović, Ljubiša Milišić, Stefan Trifunović, Ervin Hadžimurtezić, SonjaMladenov, Nikola Ivačkov
Three Points (2011), Qatar (2014), Hands (2016), Love (2017), Crocodile
Hide and Seek (2018), Autmn Waltz (2019).
BEST GAME EVER /
Hungary/2018/19`41``
Director: Kristóf Deák
Writer: Kristóf Deák
Cinematography: Róbert Maly
Composer: Rael Jones
Editor: Mano Csillag
Producer: László Dreissiger, Anna Udvardy, Gabor Osvath
Cast: Tamás Rétfalvi, Irén Szabó, Lajos Ottó Horváth
When two CCTV technicians find out about an AI machine threatening their jobs, they must get out of their chairs to beat the system - leading them to an unexpected solution.
Kristof Deak (1982, Budapest) started his career in editing before studying directing at Westminster Film School. He has been working in London and Budapest, directing fiction short films and TV drama episodes. He is best known for his work on Sing, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2017. He is currently developing his first feature film.
Ireland/2019/15`00`` Ирландия/2019/15`00``
In 1979, an Irish teenager learns to navigate adult life when he becomes the ‘boat boy’ for the local Lord.
Joe Madden is a Northern Irish Film maker and founder of the film Production company Granite Pictures. He started his career in the film industry in 2012 after writing and directing his award-winning short film Sole. Since then Joe has gone on to direct a number of TV commercials.
In conjunction with that he has also gone on to work for some major productions across the UK such as Game of Thrones; The Crown; Kingsman: The Golden Circle; Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman. At present Joe is working under Matthew Vaughn’s production company Marv Films.
The coming of age story of 15 year old Paul Maxwell and his momentous summer, in 1979, as Lord Louis Mountbatten”s ‘Boat Boy’.
Director: Joe Madden
Writer: Joe Madden
Cinematography: Craig Dean Devine
Composer: Anthony B. Willis
Editor: Ryan Axe
Producer: Jesse Algranti, Joe Madden, Nigel Mattison
Cast: Nicholas Jones, Patrick Buchanan, Maeve Madden, Rory O’Hare
Game of Thrones; The Crown; Kingsman: The Golden Circle; Bohemian Rhapsody; Rocketman.
Delphine, a caustic portrait of power dynamics in our society, describes the journey of a young Lebanese girl who, in her own way, rises up against the intimidation she was subjected to as a child. Delphine is an ode to childhood, but also an examination of the wounds it can cause.
Chloe Robichaud already has an established career. In 2013, she made the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival with her first feature, Sarah Prefers to Run. In 2012, her film Herd Leader was also presented in Cannes, nominated for the Palme d’Or for short film. Her film Boundaries (2016) was selected at the TIFF and won the New Directors award from the Seattle International Film Festival. Chloé is the creator of the webseries Féminin/ Féminin
A Police squad on a mission. A football match. Tension rises on either side… Shots fly and the team must face the pressure. When rivalry and betrayal slide onto the field, the team’s trust flies to bits.
Barney Frydman is a 33 years old director from Brussels who’s making films since 2011. Cradled in American cinema since his childhood, Barney has always at heart to address popular topics specific to his generation while highlighting the aesthetics of today’s cultures. His passion for cinema, photography and music videos leads him to mix different styles in his projects, making him a heterogeneous director in Belgium.
Director: Barney Frydman
Writer: Barney Frydman, Philippe Geus
Cinematography: Kassim Olivier Ahmed
Composer: Jay Blackwater
Editor: Barney Frydman
Producer: Philippe Geus, Alon Knoll, Gregory Zalcman
Cast: Adel Bencherif, Dali Benssalah, Guillaume Delorme, Baya Rehaz
HUGO : 6:30 /
France/2020/13`13``
18:30
Director: James Maciver, Simon Helloco
Writer: Simon Helloco
Cinematography: Théo Reynal
Editor: Solène Cotten
Producer: Alexis Diop, James Maciver, Simon Helloco
Cast: Julien Branellec, Thomas Blanchard, Zoé Monteillet, Nadir Louatib
Hugo, a young actor is asked to improvise narrating a story where he’s the actor and director at an audition. He unfolds a tale that explores sex, disease and self-emancipation.
James Maciver & Simon Helloco met at high school in Brittany. They quickly became friends and started making short films together. Four years later, they meet again in Paris. Having maintained a strong friendship and a shared passion for cinema, they co-direct several independent short films and teasers for festivals. Hugo : 6:30 is their first produced short film.
JUDAS COLLAR
Australia/2018/14`59``
Австралия/2018/14`59``
In outback Australia a wild camel is captured and fitted with a tracking device known as a Judas Collar. Based on a real life practice, Judas Collar is a scripted, no-dialogue, live action short that explores the story of a camel used to betray her kind.
Represented by WME and Grandview in Los Angeles, Alison is an award-winning drama director and writer working between West Hollywood and Perth, Western Australia. Alison thrives on adventure and seeks to tell bold, original stories. For her work on Judas Collar, Alison was awarded the Australian Writer’s Guild Award (AWGIE) for Best Short Film and won Best Director at St Kilda Film Festival. She also received an Australian Directors Guild Award nomination and a Special Jury Mention for Best Director at the Sydney Film Festival. Judas Collar follows up on two performance-based shorts You Have Blue Eyes and Sentence, filmed in West Australia’s only juvenile prison.
Director: Alison James
Writer: Alison James
Cinematography: Michael McDermott
Composer: Ash Gibson Greig
Editor: Lawrie Silvestrin
Producer: Brooke Tia Silcox
LAKE OF HAPPINESS /
Belarus/Germany/Spain/2019/29`56``
Беларус/Германия/Испания/2019/29`56``
Director: Aliaksei Paluyan
Writer: Aliaksei Paluyan
Cinematography: Behrooz Karamizade
Composer: Siarhei Douhushau
Editor: Aliaksei Paluyan
Producer: Aliaksei Paluyan, Eduardo M Escribano
Solera, Jörn
Möllenkamp
Cast: Anastasiya Plyats, Igar Sigau, Sviatlana Anikei, Ales Malchanau
In a small Belarusian village where time seems to stand still, Jasja, a 9-year-old girl, has to deal with her mother‘s death. Her father decides to send her to an orphanage. But one day she decides to run away, home.
Aliaksei Paluyan, film director and writer, was born 1989 in the Republic of Belarus. His first creative documentary COUNTRY OF WOMEN participated in the main competition of the ZagrebDox and was awarded at the Minsk IFF Listapad. His last short fiction LAKE OF HAPPINESS, a German-Belarusian-Spanish coproduction, premiered in Clermont-Ferrand in 2019 and has been screened in competition at Palms Springs, Cork, Leeds and Odense. LAKE OF HAPPINESS received more as 11 awards among other Drama ISFF, Trieste IFF. It was nominated for the German Short Film Awards 2019 and is currently a candidate for the European Film Awards 2020.
Режисьор: Аляксей Палуян Сценарист: Аляксей Палуян Оператор: Бехрооз Карамизаде Музика: Сяргей Доухушау
Аляксей Палуян
Аляксей Палуян, Едуардо М.
Valérie, a former high-level fencer, dedicates herself to training the young people of her club. She invests a lot of hopes in Hicham, a 17-year-old with huge athletic potential, who lives in a foster home. Through the years, she has developed a near maternal attachment for him. As summer holidays arrive, Valerie learns that Hicham has decided to leave the club.
After a Master degree of Cinema at the University of Paris 8 Saint-Denis and the directing of several self-produced short films, Alexandre Labarussiat directed La Ville est calme, released in 2012, freely inspired by a short story by Ray Bradbury (OCS broadcast, selections in Rhode Island, Strasbourg...).
Alexandre Labarussiat is currently working on his first feature film. His next short Left It is inspired by his years of fencing.The screenplay won the First Prize of the Eure Screenplay Contest and was also selected at the Talents en Courts.
Director: Alexandre Labarussiat
Writer: Alexandre Labarussiat
Cinematography: Eva Sehet
Composer: Anne De Boysson
Editor: Damien Maestraggi
Producer: Olivier Berlemont, Emilie Dubois, Laura Townsend, Théodore SanchezWilsdorf
Cast: Carl Malapa, Juliette PlumecocqMech
MARTHA / МАРТА
UK/2019/16`26``
Великобритания/2019/16`26``
Director: Christopher Haydon
Writer: Iona Firouzabadi
Cinematography: Aaron Reid
Composer: Tim Morrish
Editor: Julie Buckland
Producer: Alexandra Blue
Cast: Shannon Tarbet
A teenager awakes to discover she is the only person left on Earth.
Christopher Haydon is a theatre and film director. His most recent short film Martha was funded by the BFI and premiered at the 2019 London Film Festival. His previous short film, In Wonderland, was funded by Film London and screened at festivals worldwide, winning several awards including Best Drama at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and was longlisted for a BAFTA. He has also made a number of micro-films including: Devil In The Detail starring Vanessa Kirby (Royal Court Theatre/Guardian), The Taming of the Shrew and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Globe Theatre/BBC iplayer).
Режисьор: Кристофър Хейдън
Йона Фирузабади
Арън Рийд Музика: Тим Мориш
Джули Бъкланд
Александра Блу
Шанън Тарбет
Italy/2019/09`55`` Италия/2019/09`55``
Today is Matilde‘s first day of school. Her father Claudio had to take her there but he didn‘t come. So her grandfather decided to walk Matilde, but Claudio joined them to talk with her little daughter for giving her some advices to face this important day of her life.
Rosario Capozzolo is an Italian physician, director and screenwriter. He discovered the world of cinema at the age of 24, playing the role of assistant director in some independent cinema sets between Rome and Bologna. Then he moved to Rome where he attended a School of Cinema called Tracce. In 2017 he shot in Los Angeles Peggie, a short film about dementia. The film won 33 awards in Italy and abroad. Matilde’s First Day is the last short film.
Director: Rosario Capozzolo
Writer: Rosario Capozzolo
Cinematography: Tiziano Bernardini
Composer: Giordano Corapi
Editor: Corrado Iuvara (a.m.c.), Lorenzo Muto
Producer: Simona Mondello, Rosario Capozzolo, Adam Selo
Cast: Riccardo De Filippis, Alice Di Demetrio, Luigi Monfredini, Ibrahim Keshk, Paola Pasquini, Roberta Stellato, Ettore Budano Federico Di Demetrio
NERVOSA / NERVOSA
Director: Thessa Meijer
Writer: Thessa Meijer
Cinematography: Myrthe Mosterman
Composer: Merlijn Snitker
Editor: Fatih Tura
Producer: Julia Rombout, Reinier Selen
Cast: Nora el Koussour, Sarah Janneh, Merel Pauw, Souad el Aidi Keehnen
Jade lives with her friends Rex and Bo in a secluded mobile home, surrounded by a dense conifer hedge. At first sight, it seems like a normal friendship, but soon it turns out to be more like a hostage situation. Meanwhile, a woman is desperately trying to get through to Jade.
Thessa Meijer is a Dutch writer and director based in Amsterdam. She graduated with honors in 2015 from the HKU University of Arts. She released a mid-length TV film, The Day My House Fell, which screened at international festivals. Her music video Mind Dear got nominated for a 3FM Award Best Video. Her short film The Walking Fish was made during an Artist in Residency in Saga, Japan. The work received the 2019 Young Director Award (YDA)’s Special Jury Price and a Gold, as well as a Special Mention - Go Short Award for Best Dutch Short Film. It is also the Dutch submission to the 2020 Academy Awards for Live Action Short Film.
Trapped in a seemingly dull family vacation, Dimitra, Dimitris and their two daughters will have to find a way out of a secluded island in the Mediterranean, when confronted with the unexpected end of the world.
Konstantinos Antonopoulos studied Computer Science at the Athens University of Business & Economics and received his MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University in New York, on an Onassis Foundation scholarship. While studying in the U.S. he directed several shorts, amongst which the award-winning Without Glasses (2009) and Lea (2013). Back in Athens he co-wrote the feature film Symptom, edited the feature film My First Kiss and the People Involved and directed numerous documentary series for the TV and the web. His feature scripts have participated in workshops such as Torino Film Lab and Sarajevo Festival’s CineLink. He teaches filmmaking at the Onassis Cultural Center.
Director: Konstantinos
Antonopoulos
Writer: Konstantinos
Antonopoulos
Cinematography: Thodoros Mihopoulos
Composer: Larry Gus
Editor: Livia Neroutsopoulou
Producer: Fani Skartouli
Cast: G. Gallos, A. Dimitrakopoulou, I. Anagnostopoulou, M. Varda, J. Bitter, Io Latousaki, K. Papakonstantinou, T. Pitta, G. Glynos, G. Vasilenas, G. Mihalakis, E. Mirtchofska, D. Bitos
ROSE SCALES
Switzerland/2020/15`03``
Director: Kloé Lang
Writer: Kloé Lang
Cinematography: Hans Meier
Composer: Michael Wookey
Editor: Julie Picouleau
Producer: Benjamin Bonnet, Xavier Derigo
Cast: Angèle Colas, Guillaume Ceppi
Rose thinks she’s a mermaid but reality has chosen differently. At the edge of Geneva Lake she is celebrating her 18th birthday, and alongside Sébastien, her dream seems becoming true.
Kloé Lang is Franco-Swiss. After studying Philosophy and being trained as an actress in a theater school in Paris. She works for theater and cinema, mainly as an actress. ROSE SCALES is her first film coproduced with Swiss and French producers.
A young family of four is spending a day on an island. Despite the perfect conditions, this seemingly harmonious family quickly reveals its toxicity. Unhappy relationships affect all its members, and the youngest seem to have already floated away. What keeps them together? And who suffers the most?
Judita Gamulin (Zagreb, 1992.) graduated in both Editing and Film and television at the Academy of Dramatic Art. For the last 5 year she has been working in movie and commercial industry as editor, script supervisor, screenwriter, 1st AD and director. Her short fiction Flowers (2015) was among the finalists of the Student Academy Awards in 2016 and in 2018 she participated in Future Frames at Karlovy Vary IFF. She is currently developing her first feature at the First Films First workshop.
Director: Judita Gamulin
Writer: Judita Gamulin
Cinematography: Tomislav Sutlar
Editor: Tomislav Stojanović
Producer: Rea Rajčić
Cast: Ivana Roščić, Goradan Kičić, Leona Perok, Grga Podobnik
37 year old Dejan finds himself at odds with the law after a local DMV is out of registration stickers and is unable to renew his car registration. Determined to continue on the journey to see his daughter, Dejan faces a series of events which test his commitment to being a responsible father.
Born in New York City in 1988, after which he spent most of his youth in Macedonia. At the age of 22 he graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology-Eastman`s School of Photography, in the field of the Fine Arts (NY). Shortly after his graduation he moved to the Czech Republic and enrolled in the post graduate program at FAMU. Since his post graduate studies Georgi has lived in Skopje, and works as a full time director in Futura 2/2, as well as its sister agency Cinema Futura.
Armed men take a prisoner into the desert. One of them traces lines of a cell around the prisoner on sand. The armed men go away. The prisoner is alone and unrestrained: what will he do?
At 16, Alireza got a job as a photo archivist at a communications agency in Tehran. He deepened his knowledge of photography and cinematography. Then he switched to film editing. A year later, he edited two documentary feature films. Subsequently, he worked on others documentary films as assistant director: two were awarded at the Tehran International Documentary Film Festival. In 2009, he joined a French TV channel. Subjection is his first film as a director.
Director: Alireza Mirzaee
Writer: Mamad Haghighat
Cinematography: Reza Teimouri
Composer: Louis Vallet
Editor: Alireza Mirzaee, Mamad Haghighat
Producer: Alexandre Coutant
Cast: Mohamad Bahmanzadeh, Ahmad Bahrami
THE BOTTOM TURN / ИЗДЪНО
Indonesia/2019/23`07`` Индонезия/2019/23`07``
Director: Mike McDougall
Writer: Mike McDougall
Cinematography: Peter Richweisz
Editor: Peter Richweisz
Producer: Mike McDougall, Anthony G Kennedy, Daniel McDougall, Martin Sinclair, Matthew Haymes
In rural Java, fourteen year old Eka’s only passion is catching waves which her brutal father believes is shameful for a young woman and beats her for it, until her mother helps her leave home to undertake a journey of thousands of kilometres to Bali where she spends four years training for a trial that could win her a pro team place. To give her best, she needs to break through the psychological barrier instilled by her father and take motivation from the belief and sacrifice of her mother whom he beat to death after Eka left.
Director, Mike McDougall has funded his films to date with work as a helicopter pilot, and has also flown for humanitarian programmes connected to the civil war in Sudan, tsunami in Sumatra, earthquake in Pakistan and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. His films to date are mostly funded from money earned flying in the Middle East and Nigeria.
THE CUNNING MAN /
UK/2019/12`54``
Великобритания/2019/12``54``
A rural practitioner of the dark arts becomes the target of a small town conspiracy. Pressed into a corner he draws on his powers to avoid a hefty fine. This is a beautifully shot and peculiar English Folk tale that very effectively modernizes anxieties over the countryside and the folk who live there. It’s also oddly charming with great performances and an eye for the stark beauty of the countryside.
Zoë Dobson is a BAFTA award winning and Emmy nominated Director and Producer. Her career has earned her credits across all the major broadcasters, including high profile blue-chip series, one-off documentaries and short film with some of the world’s leading artists in the fields of art, music and dance. Zoë is currently working on the development of a feature film with producer Wendy Laister of Magnus Entertainment, New York.
Director: Zoë Dobson
Writer: Ali Cook
Cinematography: Dave Miller
Composer: Lol Hammond
Editor: Rene van Pannevis
Producer: Ali Cook, Ross Williams
Cast: Simon Armstong, Ali Cook, Ian Kelly, Charlotte Jo Hanbury
THE IMPORTANT DAY /
Russia/2019/20`07``
Русия/2019/20`07``
Director: Olesia Aleinikova
Writer: Olesia Aleinikova, Anna Rubtsova
Cinematography: Ekaterina Orlovskaya
Composer: Igor Babaev
Editor: Anna Matskova
Producer: Olesia Aleinikova
Cast: Ilya Averin, Petr Natarov, Emilia Glagoleva, Elena Tashaeva, Ivan Ivashkin, Elena Saar
Ten year old Misha is a violin virtuoso who doesn’t just play music - he sees it. Agemates dislike this strange timid guy. A very important competition is approaching where the famous producer will be present. The ambitious Misha’s mother dreams to make him the star. The teacher is at last ready to shine her pedagogic talent – it is she who brought up the genius. And only Misha doesn’t think about the victory at all. He just wants to do music. Will he obey them or will he hold his own dreams?
Olesia Aleinikova was born in 1981 in Elista (Russia). Graduated from the Studio School of the film director Alexander Mitta in 2015. Since 2013 she shoot music videos and ads for Russian TV and won a lot of European and American awards for music videos. The Important Day is her second short film.
Режисьор: Олеся Алейникова Сценарист: Олеся Алейникова, Анна Рубстова
Оператор: Екатерина Орловская
Музика: Игор Бабаев
Монтаж: Анна Мацкова
Елена Саар
IMAGE OF FATHER
Dusan and Laza are traveling through Eastern Serbia to Belgrade. Terminally ill, Dusan has to find a new home for his son Laza, to whom Dusan is all he has.
Stefan Djordjevic was born in Bor in 1987. After moving to Belgrade for studying, his main interest switched from skateboarding to film and photography. He completed his BA and MA at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Camera department. and is currently working as a freelance director and director of photography on films and other media. He directed The Last Image of Father, a short fiction film, awarded at many film festivals: Locarno, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade...
Director: Stefan Djordjevic
Writer: Stefan Djordjevic
Cinematography: Damjan Radovanovic
Editor: Dragan von Petrović
Producer: Andrijana Stojkovic, Marija Lero
Cast: Igor Benčina, Marko Matić, Marina Redžepović, Silvija Stojanovska
THE PLUNGE / В
UK/2019/09`45``
Director: Simon Ryninks
Writer: Omar Khan
Cinematography: Hamish Anderson
Composer: Felix Taylor
Editor: Simon Ryninks
Producer: Tibo Travers
Cast: Lydia Wilson, Omar Khan
After a night of passion Emily tells Jay that she’d like to use a strap-on. Scared of losing a girl he has a connection with, Jay reluctantly agrees.
Simon Ryninks is a writer-director of films that are funny, tender and gently political. His latest short, THE PLUNGE was BAFTA long-listed and his previous short film, CONTRACTOR 014352 won Best European Film at Brest Film Festival and aired on Canal+ in over fifty countries. His films have screened at festivals including Chicago International, Palm Springs Shortfest, and London Short Film Festival. His first feature, OUT THERE, is currently under development with Film Wales. Simon also teaches film-making to MA students at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London.
THE RUDENESS OF A GERMAN LADY
Croatia/Hungary/2020 /14`59``
Under the burning sun, beachgoers are trying to take advantage of every minute of their paid trip to a desolate beach. Among them are a mother with her grown son, two ladies and their dog, a passive-aggressive married couple, loud Italians, happy Hungarians, and an overweight, possibly dead, German lady.
Silva Ćapin (Osijek, 1989.) is film screenwriter and director. She holds BA degree in Comparative Literature and in Film and TV directing. During her studies at the Academy, she directed short films with which she attended various film festivals. She worked at Croatian public televison as a director in the Cultural, Children’s and Entertainment Program and currently, she is writing and directing Radioplays for Croatian Radio. She is developing her first feature-length film The Secretaries
Director: Silva Ćapin
Writer: Silva Ćapin
Cinematography: Luka Matić
Editor: Iva Ivan
Producer: Rea Rajčić
Cast: S. Sinovčić, V. Kraljević, B. Ipša, A. Jovanović, V. Komerički, L. Bogojević, K. Horváth, A. Menszátor, T. Smoje, T. Torjanac, T. Mršić, I. Jurinić, J. Sinovčić Perković, L. Vatsel, R. Lepej
Based on true events, The Shepherds of Cat Island, is a continuous, single take drama that puts individual and collective responsibility under microscope to examine systematic prejudice and racial tension in the midst of WWII. Soldiers and leaders, dogs and trainers, White- and Japanese-Americans construe this hidden but true piece of history that may help us to navigate among contemporary interpretations of patriotism and basic human rights.
Attila Rostas is a multiple Award winning Hungarian born American Writer, Director and Producer with strong emphasis on social injustice, human biases and prejudice in his filmmaking body. His short films screened at dozens of festivals including Raindance, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Tehran, Budapest, Eindhoven, Thessaloniki and Tirana. While working on his debut feature in development, Attila currently teaches Film Production at Mission College in the SF Bay Area.
The Van finally stops, the doors open and Ben comes out alive. A few more fights and he will be able to pay his way out of Albania, and hopefully, take his father with him.
Erenik studied at the Academy of Arts, Tirana where he graduated with a Master degree in Film Directing. His thesis was Seed Money, a short film written by Jim Uhls (Fight Club). He has participated in the Sarajevo Talent Campus as a Screenwriter, where he developed the short script Reverse which was produced a year later for the Sarajevo City of Film. His films showcase the inner struggles of the characters as they confront with the socio-political space they inhabit, ultimately coming down to unsettling decisions that define them as comic, tragic or grotesque portraits of society.
Producer: Joseph Taussig, Sarah Smith, Andrew Smith, Michael Fassbender, Conor McCaughan, Theo Barrowclough
Cast: Liv Hill, Neil Fitzmaurice, Warren Brown
A separatist movement has ignited civil war in the North of England. The UK government has built a wall dividing the country to protect the people of the South. Trapped in a refugee camp north of the border, a teenage girl has to choose between loyalty to her father and her growing political ideology.
Peter is an award winning, BIFA nominated film, TV and commercials director from the North East of England. His work is known for its powerful, naturalistic performances and wonderfully observed humanity. Peter has previously been at IN THE PALACE with his films 72 HOURS FROM NOW, THE CITY WITH A DIRTY FACE and CRACK. He is represented by Sue Rodgers at Independent Talent in the UK.
Hearing impaired, homeless Gala escapes from a man who continually abuses her. While her life becomes a routine in an abandoned old truck on a mountain road, she is unaware the abusive man finds out where her hiding place is. One night, after a brutal attack, she finds the strength to stand up one last time and starts walking. She has no clue where this survival walk will end up and change her life forever!
After music and theater education in Turkey, she earned her MFA at Calarts in acting and appeared in numerous stage, film and TV productions. Yeltan also writes, directs films, teaches acting in universities and continues her acting career in independent film productions in the USA. She also served as a Juror in International Film Festival in Ireland. Her second short film Topanga she wrote, directed won awards in global film competitions and film festivals and continues its journey.
Director: Aycil Yeltan
Writer: Aycil Yeltan
Cinematography: Daniel DeForest
Composer: Tolga Cebi
Editor: Aycil Yeltan
Producer: Gorkem Yeltan, Robert Debitetto, Aycil Yeltan
Cast: Aycil Yeltan, Joe Blaustein, Jacob R Young
Estonia/2019/15`54``
Director: Kerli Kirch Schneider
Writer: Kerli Kirch Schneider
Cinematography: Mart Ratassepp
Composer: Ann Reimann
Editor: Marion Koppel
Producer: Diana Mikita
Cast: Tiina Tauraite, Juhan Ulfsak, Marje Metsur
In Virago village where no man has lived long enough to see his fortieth birthday, Tõnu is about to turn forty.
Kerli Kirch has co-created and co-directed various plays for an award-winning Southern Estonian theatre group Kõgõkogo, where she also acted. The plays were inspired by real life and spiced up with Estonian sarcasm, delivered by three young Southern Estonian women. Through the film program at the University of Miami, Kerli has also made her first “experiments” in the film world – both in terms of screenwriting and directing. Virago is Kerli’s professional film debut.
BEST ANIMATION FILM CATEGORY
Director: Nenad Janković
Writer: Nenad Janković
Cinematography: Filip Gašparović Melis
Animation: Mislav Tomašinjak
Composer: A. Palet Gallarini
Editor: Filip Gašparović
Melis
Producer: Vinko Brešan
On an old steamship, sometime around the beginning of the 20th century, sailors are amusing themselves by mocking a captured albatross, which waddles helplessly across the ship’s deck. Their grinning heads are drawn in and ground up by a portable cogwheel.
Nenad Janković was born in 1964, in Glina, Croatia, MA in Sociology. Worked at the Događanja gallery, since 2004 he is a freelance artist. He had 12 solo exhibitions, did graphic design, wrote and illustrated the children’s books Pufkove avanture, Rozita and Čudesno otkriće. Member of the Croatian Cartoonist Association. Albatross is inspired by the poem by Charles Baudelaire and it is his film debut.
During the period of the ‘Provinces at war’, many lives were lost. A castle architect discovers the possible role of a tea room as a place for warriors to regain humanity.
Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1989. Grew up in Bali, Indonesia. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Intermedia Art in 2015. Received master’s degree from Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Animation in 2017. Enrolled in a doctoral programme in 2020. His films RADIO WAVE (2016), AEON (2017) and CASTLE (2019) received many selections and awards in festivals from all around the world.
Director: Ryotaro Miyajima
Writer: Ryotaro Miyajima
Cinematography: Ryotaro Miyajima
Animation: Ryotaro Miyajima
Composer: Yoshiki Masuda
Editor: Ryotaro Miyajima
Producer: Sayaka Omodaka
CRISS CROSS
Germany/2020/07`30`` Германия/2020/07`30``
Director: Fritz Penzlin, Caroline Hamann
Writer: Fritz Penzlin, Caroline Hamann
Animation: Fritz Penzlin, Caroline Hamann
Editor: Stefan Urlass
Producer: Caroline Hamann
Criss Cross is a film about love and borders. Which is stronger? An unfortunate chain of events motivates a couple in love to try and defy the obstacles between them. Can they be overcome? Or might digging underneath be a better solution? And just when you think it’s getting easier, bureaucracy and the past get in the way!
Fritz Penzlin began animating whilst studying Animation at HFF Konrad Wolf, and after graduation worked on many awardwinning feature & short films, TV series, and commercials. Fritz is also a musician and composer and lives in Berlin.
Caroline Hamann has worked in Animation since she began her career at Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. She is part of many animation projects around the world, including Academy Award nominees. Caroline is a director, producer, story artist and animator in Munich.
People are living with their personality layers, and they take them to “Layeromat” just like their clothes. A young man who works in one of these “Layeromat” accidentally loses one of his layers. Despite his long search, he couldn’t find it. But through an inner revolution during his searching, he reaches a new understanding of his being.
Sarah Tabibzadeh was born in 1984, Tehran, Iran. Studied BA Graphic Design, University of Tehran, Iran (2001-2008) and MA Animation directing, Tarbiat Modarres, Tehran, Iran (2009-2012).
Sarah is Official member of ASIFA & Iranian Illustrator Society. She is active as freelance illustrator & animation director and has taken part in several international film festivals like the Denver Film Festival & Seattle International Film Festival. She is designer and founder of Sarah Products since 2002.
Rare, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done. Through intimate and personal stories, five women share their experiences in relation to the body, from childhood to old age.
Camila Kater is a director, animator and production designer. Bachelor of Medialogy with undergraduate sandwich in Film and Television Production by Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge, UK). She served in stop-motion productions as animator, art director and puppet maker in short as Apple The Trial (2013), Flirt (2015).
Just a Guy is an animated documentary short film about love. Three women share glimpses of their affection, attraction and relationship with Richard Ramirez: a serial killer and rapist they contacted after he was convicted in the 80s. Through their perspective, we revisit exchanged letters and emotions that are as obsessive as they are hauntingly familiar.
Shoko Hara grew up in Okayama, Japan. With her emphasis on analogue and experimental works she studied at the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg till 2016. Her diploma animated short What They Believe was awarded Best student film in Animafest Zagreb.
Music was his passion... Love was his masterpiece... A Piano player, try to give wife’s life back with trading his hands. But the new hands awakes devil’s forces inside him.
Farnoosh Abedi was born in 1985 in Isfahan, Iran in 1985. Graduated in Theater, Art & Architecture University. He is making animation since 2000 and has directed more than 20 short animated films and TV series and documentaries. His films were presented and screened in more than 100 domestic and international film festivals.
Good and evil, utopia and dystopia, narrative, and post narrative collide in a mortal battle to entertain the audience.
Born in 1980. A self-taught animator. In 2008, he began work as an independent animation film director. During this time, he has created more than 30 animation shorts. He develops his own artistic language by mixing media and continues to make graphics artworks, painting and collages. In his animation, he uses a method of improvisation and challenges stereotypes. Since 2013 works in collaboration with his partner and wife Nadezhda Svirskaia. Currently, he is based in Moscow, Russia.
Director: Sasha Svirsky
Writer: Sasha Svirsky
Animation: Sasha Svirsky
Composer: Alexey Prosvirnin
Editor: Sasha Svirsky
Producer: Alexander Gerasimov
Cast: Alexey Prosvirnin
Director: Henriette Rietz
Writer: Henriette Rietz
Cinematography: Henriette Rietz
Animation: Henriette Rietz
Composer: David Kamp
Editor: Henriette Rietz
Producer: Henriette Rietz
Cast: Charlotte Roche, Lova Pfeiffer
The animated film POSTPARTUM is about the chaotic phase in life of a new mother. Pumped up with hormones and lacking sleep, this intense time has burned deep into the protagonist’s heart. This film is an honest and very personal insight into the world of an overwhelmed mother, who seriously thought that parental leave would become a sort of sabbatical.
Henriette Rietz is a Berlin based visual storyteller with an edgy, loud and straight forward style. As her alter ego Herzette, her core work is focused on illustration, gif-animation and art. With her animation POSTPARTUM she is stepping into the short film scene and transformed officially into a filmmaker and director. In 2015 she published her first animation short film WHAT DID YOU DO? Online. Since she became a mum in 2017, she only has time for really cool projects.
ROUTINE: THE PROHIBITION
Spain/2020/08`15`` Испания/2020/08`15``
In a dark world, devastated by lies and dominated by fear, we continue with our self-destructive routines towards extinction.
Sam, born in Valencia, Spain, has devoted the last 20 years of his life to animation films specializing in stop-motion. Where he has been invested more time and effort it is in his own work, wining numerous awards with short films such as Encarna, The Werepig or Vicenta and in his latest a feature film Pos eso. Today Sam continues to prepare personal projects and collaborating with other companies and studios around the world he is expanding his knowledge in new disciplines.
Director: Sam
Writer: Flora Cuevas
Cinematography: Nestor de Les
Animation: Sam
Composer: Sam
Editor: Sam, Alex Cervantes
Producer: Alex Cervantes
SHEEP, WOLF
& A CUP OF TEA /
France/2019/12`14`` Франция/2019/12`14``
Director: Marion Lacourt
Writer: Marion Lacourt
Cinematography: Marion Lacourt
Animation: Marion Lacourt, Camille Authouart, Marine Blin, Hugo Bravo, Lila Peuscet
Composer: Nathan Blais
Editor: Catherine Aladenise, Marion Lacourt
Producer: Edwina Liard, Nidia Santiago, David Braun
At night, while family members indulge in curious rituals before sleeping, a child invokes a wolf from the bottom of a box hidden under his bed. Disturbing sheep then besiege the door of his bedroom...
Marion Lacourt is an illustrator, an engraver and by extension a film maker living and working in Paris. She graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) in Paris, after studying lithography at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg. Sheep, Wolf and a Cup of Tea is her first professional film.
Spain/2020/13`30`` Испания/2020/13`30``
Souvenir is the story of a father and daughter and the extraordinary journey through their memories.
Cristina Vilches Estella (1991). Illustrator and animator from Spain. 2013 Bachelor in Fine Arts. 2015 Master in illustrated Book and Audiovisual Animation. Paloma Canonica (1989). Illustrator and animator from Switzerland. 2012 Bachelor in Visual Communication. 2015 Master in illustrated Book and Audiovisual Animation.
Animation: Andria Pourouti, Eleni Catharine Demetriou, D. Ntakaki, M. Savva, L. Huijbregts Jaen, M. Ungureanu, R. Kallistratou, M. Kontonikola, R. Englezos, K. Kyriakou, S. Christoforou, M. Kask, A. Kimonides, Thanos Giouvanoudis, J. Bornet
Composer: Eleni Era
Producer: Michalis Kalopaidis
Cast: Marina Mandri
The Parrot Lady is inspired by a true story. The film works as an artistic interpretation of a woman‘s life who chose to live on the streets with her parrots, afraid of dying alone in her home.
Michael Kalopaidis is an Animation Producer and the Founder of Zedem Media, Cyprus‘ largest and longest running Animation Studio. He is also a founding member of the Cyprus Animation Association and the President of the Larnaka Famagusta Cinema Society, a non-profit organization. Michael, holds a BA in Media Management from Columbia College Chicago and an MA in Media & Cultural Studies from Middlesex University, London. The Parrot Lady is his first personal film as Director.
Режисьор: Михалис Калопидис Сценарист: Георгия Бло Николау Анимация: Андрия Пурути, Елени Катарине Деметриу, Д. Дакаки, М. Сава, Л. Хюджбрегтс Жаен, М. Унгуреану, Р. Калистрату, М. Контоникола, Р.
After losing a well paid engineering job, Toomas, a young hot wolf, gets cornered into working as a gigolo to support his family. He is keeping it as a secret from his pregnant wife Viivi. Viivi also has a secret: she is attending a female empowerment seminar involving male slaves. When Toomas gets a role in a sexploitation movie, it becomes harder to keep his new profession a secret.
Chintis Lundgren is an Estonian-born animator currently living in Croatia. Self-taught, Lundgren’s body of work includes an assortment of quirky music videos, PSAs and short films featuring a light, absurdist tone along with distinct anthropomorphic characters. In 2011 created Chintis Lundgreni Animatsioonistuudio and later co-founded Adriatic Animation, based in Croatia. Her films have screened at Sundance, Annecy, Zagreb, Hiroshima and Ottawa.
Slugs have a hard time keeping up with the pace of life in the city of insects. When a financial crisis hits, the industrious bees only see one solution.…
Aline decided at the age of four that she would spend her time telling stories later on in life. She learned the craft of animated story-telling at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, finishing in mid-2015.
BEST NATIONAL FILM CATEGORY:
BEST NATIONAL FILM CATEGORY: FICTION
FATHER-TIME / СРЕЩА
Bulgaria/2019/11`45`` България/2019/11`45``
Director: Martin Iliev
Writer: Martin Iliev
Cinematography: Alexander Stanishev
Editor: Martin Iliev
Producer: Angel Ivanov
Cast: Iosif Shamli, Martin Ivo Paunov Режисьор: Мартин Илиев
Мартин Илиев
An ever absent father has only few minutes to teach his elevenyear-old son a life lesson before leaving him again.
Martin is a film director based in Europe. After graduating from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, he dived into the world of filmmaking. He has several award-wining short films, a bunch of music videos and directed a variety of commercials for some of the biggest brands in Europe. Martin took part in the 8th Talents Sarajevo in 2014 with his short Maybe Tomorrow. He also co-wrote the feature film The PIG, which has been selected to take part in Torino Film Lab Script &Pitch 2015. Currently, Martin is working on the development of his debut feature The Last of the Idealists
Single, unemployed and with nothing to lose, Anton begins work in an illegal coal-mine, where nights are long, friendships last short, and the price of getting out is high.
Yordan Petkov and Eddy Schwartz are a film-making duo from Bulgaria, working in the field of commercial, short, documentary and feature film.
Cast: Hristo Petkov, Alexander Evgeniev, Petar Toskov, Ivo Krustev, Bilyana Kazakova
Bulgaria/Italy/2019/30`00``
България/Италия/2020/30`00``
Director: Dimitris Georgiev
Writer: Mariy Rosen, Dimitris Georgiev
Cinematography: Damian Dimitrov
Editor: Ralitsa Kamenova
Producer: Teodora Mladenova, Danail Mladenov, Ivan Hristov
Cast: S. Doychev, D. Ivanov, R.Gavanozov, B. Chouchkov, A.Penev, H. Yotova
Two recidivists break from Sofia Central Prison. One of them seeking revenge, the other following his own heart. A story inspired by true events that shocked the society in Bulgaria.
Dimitris Georgiev is Bulgarian director and screenwriter. He has worked as an assistant director on numerous Bulgarian and foreign film productions and on commercial videos. He graduates from the National Academy of Theatre And Film Arts in Bulgaria in 2019. He becomes part of the company ,New European Wave Entertainment which produce So Close Awayhis first film as a director outside the National Academy.
Режисьор: Димитрис Георгиев Сценарист: Марий Росен и Димитрис Георгиев Оператор: Дамян Димитров
Монтаж: Ралица Каменова Продуцент: Данаил Младенов и Теодора Младенова Участват: Ст. Дойчев, Д. Иванов, Б. Чучков, Р. Гаванозов, А. Пенев, Хр. Йотова,
A man is sitting on the window ledge for hours. Policemen and firefighters are annoyed he’s been dramatic and wasting their time. The task to deal with him is assigned to the psychologist who is expected to make the man come down, preferably before the start of the football game tonight.
Petya Ivanova was born in 1985. Graduated Film directing in New Bulgarian University in 2018. Her previous films are Room Number Three (short fiction film, 2017) and An Hour of Theatre (featured documentary, 2018). Also worked as researcher and assistant director for the short documentary The sweetest thing (2019) and the international documentary projects “Occupation 1968” (2018) and “Die Donau” (2020).
Director: Petya Ivanova
Writer: Petya Ivanova
Cinematography: Branimir Miladinov
Composer: Stamen Georgiev
Editor: Volen Penev
Producer: Petya Ivanova
Cast: Ivan Barnev, Ivan Panayotov, Yordan Bikov, Stephan A. Shtereff, Nikolay Urumov
BEST NATIONAL FILM CATEGORY: ANIMATION
LOVE IN TIME OF TOURISM
Bulgaria/2020/04`40``
Director: Vessela Dantcheva
Writer: Petar Tchuhov
Animation: Vessela Dantcheva, Iva Tokmakchieva
Composer: Big Banda Soundscapers
Editor: Ivan Bogdanov
Producer: Compote Collective
Cast: Harry Anichkin
Festive observation of tourist delight - swirling in abundance of food, flags, music, flesh, alcohol, lust and desire. And all this spiced up with Mexican flavor. The film is based on the poem ‘Love in Times of Tourism’ by Petar Tchouhov and it is part of the animation poetry collection Mark and Verse
Vessela Dantcheva is animation professional since her graduation in animation in 2002. She is a co-founder of Compote Collective production studio. During the past 12 years she develops, directs and produces independent animation films, many of which are highly valued in the international animation industry. She is often a jury member at international festivals and pitching events. She is a lecturer in animation studies at National Academy of Arts and New Bulgarian University, Sofia.
BigBanda Soundscapers
Bulgaria/2020/05`20``
България/2020/05`20`` MARMALADE
Sometimes, if you want to become a hero, you just have to fly. Innovation handmade embroidery animation.
Radostina Neykova graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts Kr. Sarafov with an MFA in Film Studies and Animation Directing. She is Assoc. Professor, PhD in the Institute of Arts Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Science and teaching Dramaturgy of animated film and Animation techniques in the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts Kr. Sarafov. Radostina is the director of the awards wined animated shorts. And illustrator of children’s books in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She makes children‘s Animation workshops in Bulgaria, Serbia, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Makedonia, Russia and Germany.
Director: Radostina Neykova
Writer: Radostina Neykova, Hanna Schwartz
Cinematography: Blagoy Kostov
Animation: Radostina Neykova, Eva Georgieva
Composer: Petko Manchev
Editor: Radostina Neykova
Producer: Hristo Hristov
Bulgaria/2020/08`00`` България/2020/08`00``
Director: Milen Vitanov
Writer: Milen Vitanov, Vera Trajanova
Cinematography: Olaf Aue
Animation: Milen Vitanov, Dalibor Rajninger
Composer: Leonard Petersen
Editor: Jens Prausnitz
Producer: Milen Vitanov, Vesela Kazakova, Mina Mileva
The lives of four lively arctic hares take a turn after discovering a strange new creature.
Milen Vitanov is born 1978 in Prague, raised in Sofia (Bulgaria) and graduated in Animation from the University of Film and Television in Germany in 2007. His shorts participated in many international festivals and received numerous prestigious awards.
DOCUMENTARY & EXPERIMENTAL COMPETITION
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM CATEGORY
USA/2019/12`31`` САЩ/2019/12`31``
Director: Ryan Rundle
Cinematography: Alex Pollini
Composer: James Newberry
Editor: Ryan Rundle
Producer: Ryan Rundle, Alex Pollini
Cast: Mihail Alexandrov
Afterlife follows Bulgarian-born Olympic swimmer, Mihail Alexandrov, as he struggles to reconcile the inevitability of retirement while training for a seat on the U.S. team in Tokyo.
Ryan Rundle is an American writer, director, editor and creative producer based in Los Angeles. He has been responsible for elevating the advertising and branded content of companies such as Boss, V-Moda, Freeletics, and legendary MI brand, Roland. Known for his dedication and meticulous nature, Ryan took the scenic route in his career, wearing nearly every hat on set and in the editing room before claiming the title of director. He continues to work in multiple mediums on what has been a lifelong journey toward understanding the human experience.
FORMS OF RESISTANCE
Filmed in Tripoli, Lebanon, Concrete Forms of Resistance is a documentary centered upon the city’s abandoned ‘Permanent International Fair’, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in the mid-1960s. The film presents themes of progress and crisis, labor and capital, material and memory, contrasting the utopian vision of the original plans with the stark realities of sectarian divisions, regional conflicts and rising economic inequalities.
Nick Jordan is an artist who works with film, drawing, painting, objects, publications and collaboration. The artist’s short films deploy a layered, documentary approach to explore the interconnections between natural, social and cultural histories. His films have been shown widely at prestigious international festivals and exhibitions and have won number of awards. Nick Jordan is based in Manchester, UK.
Director: Nick Jordan
Cinematography: Nick Jordan
Composer: David Chatton Barker, Sam Mcloughlin
Editor: Nick Jordan
Producer: Nick Jordan
DANIELLE /
United Kingdom/Sweden/2019/15`18``
Director: Gareth Warland
Cinematography: Robin Asselmeyer
Composer: Graeme Ronald
Editor: Andreas Arvidsson
Producer: Gareth Warland, Lisa Gruneau
Cast: Danielle MacGillvray, Peter MacGillvray
This isn’t a film a film about MS. It’s a film about a person called Danielle who happens to have MS. It’s a film about her life, her son, her horses, her home and, in amongst all that, her MS. Danielle is a film that chooses not to focus on the disease itself but instead on the person who has the disease, their life and how they choose to live it, despite the obstacles.
Gareth is a filmmaker currently based in both Stockholm and London. With a passion for working with real people and stories, his interest lies in those blurred areas between documentary and fiction, whilst always retaining an impactful visual and cinematic sensibility. Gareth has won and been nominated for numerous film and advertising awards over the years.
GRINDING THE COUNTRY /
France/2019/20`30`` Франция/2019/20`30``
With less than 1500 inhabitants, Chaulgnes is the typical French country village. At the end of the 90’s, the arrival of skateboarding has changed the lives of the inhabitants. And has launched generations of riding and punk-rock music lovers.
Olivier Lambert is a writer-director-producer. He co-founded Lumento in 2012. He makes documentary films with humans at the heart of the subject: reinsertion of prisoners with Chasing Bonnie & Clyde, investigation into an episode of the Algerian war in France with La Nuit Oubliée. He also produces single or serial documentaries for contemporary art foundations.
Director: Olivier Lambert
Writer: Olivier Lambert
Cinematography: Olivier Lambert, Cédric Corroy, Thomas Salva
Editor: Olivier Lambert
Producer: Olivier Lambert
ICE FARMERS /
Japan/2019/03`22``
Director: Tatsuya Ino
Cinematography: Tatsuya Ino
Composer: Shinji Wakasa
Editor: Tatsuya Ino
Producer: Tatsuya Ino
Cast: Tokujiro IV, Jinichiro Yamamoto
Tokujiro IV and his buddies grow natural ice. They fill ponds with the natural water from the Nikko mountain range and let it develop into ice only by taking advantage of the coldness of the winter.
Why does he still use traditional technics to make natural ice? This short documentary tells a story about Tokujiro IV, who calls himself an ice farmer, and his belief.
After working in Toei CM cooperation as a production assistant, Ino became an independent videographer in 2012. He pursues visual expressions that show real aspects of people and place mainly in non-fictional genre.
An acclaimed Haitian musician struggles to keep the beat of his passion alive.
Raised in the Midwest of the United States A.J. Wilhelm attended the University of Michigan studying Politics, Music and Film. Following graduation A.J. took a staff position with the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C while also performing as a touring musician. Since 2006 A.J. has been working out of New York City as a freelance filmmaker and photographer. Junior is AJ’s first film as director and producer.
Director: AJ Wilhelm
Writer: AJ Wilhelm
Cinematography: AJ Wilhelm
Editor: Francois Bernadi
Producer: AJ Wilhelm
Cast: Jerome „Junior”
Simeon, Ajayi Jackson, Immigrés Lafond, Laurent Ansito, Jean Paul Saint Fleur
Italy/2019/17`54``
Director: Mirco Valenza
Writer: Annalisa Elba, Mirco Valenza
Cinematography: Mirco Valenza
Composer: Julian Grass
Editor: Julian Grass
Producer: Mirco Valenza
Cast: Nizar Ben Amara, Michele Clemente, Agostino De Rosa, Giuseppe Moramarco
When Nizar’s application for political asylum is rejected by the Italian authorities, the young Tunisian finds himself stripped of his most basic rights overnight. After meeting Agostino, a local gym owner and MMA trainer, Nizar discovers his talent for the sport, eventually taking up pro MMA fighting as a means of turning his life around. Perhaps, among other local athletes, he will find the family he has left behind.
Mirco Valenza is a director and producer originally from the south of Italy, currently living and working in London. After graduating from the Academy award-winning film course at the University of Westminster, Mirco went on to direct a number of short film and documentary projects as well as commercial work. His films have been selected and awarded in a wide range of international film festivals.
THEN COMES THE EVENING /
Depiction of bittersweet life of two grannies living isolated on the hills of Eastern Bosnia. Nature is the entity with which grannies speak, listen to and respect. Intangible cultural heritage is emphasized through presentation of chants and rituals for taming the adverse weather, hail, and storm. Simplicity and purity of their way of life, as well as their painstaking work, is reflected. Poetic tone of the frames relies on references from genre scenes of realism paintings.
Maja Novaković (1987, Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina) holds a Master’s degree in Art History from Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, Serbia where she is working on PhD with registered thesis “Poetics of heritage in the works of Sergei Parajanov”. She is researcher at the Centre for Museology and Heritology at the same university, and works as a research assistant at the Mathematical Institute of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Then Comes the Evening is her first film.
Director: Maja Novaković
Writer: Maja Novaković
Cinematography: Jasna Prolić
Editor: Marija Kovačina
Producer: Maja Novaković, Milan Milosavljević
Cast: Obrenija Radić, Vinka Radić
Spain/2019/17`18``
Director: Raquel Kurpershoek
Writer: Raquel Kurpershoek, Ernest Kurpershoek
Cinematography: Max Vonk
Editor: Max Vonk
Producer: Raquel Kurpershoek
Traslasierra is an autobiographical documentary about the relationship of deaf people with music. They appear to be two incompatible worlds, music and the world of the deaf. But this film shows that if the will to contact exists, anything is possible. Emotions are universal. Traslasierra is a town in Andalusia. But in the film, the name Traslasierra is also a metaphor for the position of the deaf in society.
Raquel Kurpershoek is a 22 year old Dutch-Spanish singer. Born in Amsterdam, she spent her youth partly in a village in Andalusia. She studied world music at the conservatory in Rotterdam and in Cordoba, Spain. She developed a great fascination for the world of the deaf and learned sign language as well. Traslasierra is also a live report of an experiment to bring deaf people in direct contact with music.
Music can emerge in the most unexpected places, like the arid shores of the dried-up Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. Can an electronic music festival held in this remote and unforgiving place inspire a creative renaissance in this country on the verge of change - and shine an international spotlight on a little-known environmental disaster?
George Itzhak is an Emmy & Webby-nominated director, producer, and editor who works at NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, America’s top evening news broadcast. There he works on stories and documentaries that illuminate the complex issues that face the United States - and the world - today. George’s independent films have examined the experiences of people from behind the Iron Curtain and from the New East.
Director: George Itzhak
Cinematography: Neha Hirve
Editor: George Itzhak
Producer: George Itzhak, Timur Karpov
Germany/2019/11`10``
Director: Janna Häcker
Writer: Janna Häcker
Cinematography: Christian Belz
Composer: Nurbek Serkebaev
Editor: Janna Häcker
Producer: Janna Häcker, Sebastian Lindlar, Christian Belz
Once it was the faithful companion of a great nomadic nation, today it’s an essential part of a cultural heritage. What if a horse was able to tell its story?
Born in Germany filmmaker Janna Häcker (writer and director) studies film at the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences. Wings of Kyrgyzstan (2019) is her first professional short documentary.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM CATEGORY
USA/2019/02`55``
САЩ/2019/02`55``
Director: Dani Smith
Attachment to the desert environment of Northern Nevada inspired the construction of this film and explores the ways in which 16mm film is a changing landscape in the same way that physical earth is. Both are containers for information and memories, and although they change or decay over time, transcriptions are infinitely being made.
Dani Smith was born and raised in Sparks, Nevada. She pursued a dual degree in Anthropology and Photography at the University of Nevada, Reno. She then went on to gain her MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University. Her work focuses on the way people interact with their environments and the containers we build to explore our identities. She has a passion for understanding people and for the ability of media arts to tell stories and influence the way people view the world.
Режисьор:
Locomotive Organisms tries to hold onto abstraction as threats of representational forms impede the durational composition. The risk of codification is ever-present.
Chris Aaron is a filmmaker and professor of film and animation. He works in all genres and styles in both live-action and animation.
Director: Chris Aaron
ON
Turkey/2019/02`37``
Director: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Writer: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Cinematography: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Animation: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Editor: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Producer: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
On Color is the story of light, after being birthed by the pitch black void preceding the universe, it disperses into red, green and blue and then from there to all the various colors of visible spectrum emerges and flows into each other, creating all the possible forms of hues. After the life of light spent it flows back into the primordial state of pitch black void of ‘Khaos’.
Hüseyin Mert Erverdi is an award-winning experimental filmmaker and new media artist. His work explores the convergence points between art, science and nature. In addition to communicating his vision through various art forms, Erverdi is deeply involved with philosophy and media theory.
SAMA is a whirling cosmic journey of ascension, starting from ‚Khaos‘, an ocean of unmanifested form, a void state preceding the universe‘s birth to the sphere of planets of the solar system, to stars, Primum Mobile and beyond. Sama, is in a sense trying to contribute a response to an age old question: „is it possible to create an artwork that both induces and reproduces a transcendental experience?“
Hüseyin Mert Erverdi is an award-winning experimental filmmaker and new media artist. His work explores the convergence points between art, science and nature. In addition to communicating his vision through various art forms, Erverdi is deeply involved with philosophy and media theory.
Director: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Writer: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Cinematography: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Animation: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Composer: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Editor: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
Producer: Hüseyin Mert Erverdi
WHERE IS LOTTE?
Austria/2019/09`04``
Австрия/2019/09`04``
Director: Petra Zoepnek
Cinematography: Petra Zoepnek
Composer: Gil Chéri
Editor: Petra Zoepnek
Producer: Petra Zoepnek
Режисьор: Петра Зьопнек
Оператор: Петра Зьопнек
Музика: Жил Шери
Монтаж: Петра Зьопнек Продуцент: Петра Зьопнек
Hommage à Lotte Hass (1928-2015)
She was the „First Lady of Diving“
This experimental film is a memorial leap. Underwater models stand in for Lotte, or rather: They jump in for her. They jump into the Old Danube and go searching, in a state of floating, before they rise again, transformated, in the Red Sea. The movements of all the divers, of water, air and mysterious plants turn into a collective action. The film plays with fast changes, with the esthetics of chance, its poetry is celebration and disappointment at the same time, the breathless editing fools the slow eye.
Born in Vienna, editor for documentarys and feature films, photographer and musician. She is fascinated by the esthetics of chance and by the depth of the sea.
Angelos, an eighteen-year-old soldier, disappears the night before at the Greek-Turkish borders. After his mother travels up there in a desperate mood and everybody denies information about him, she sets on a quest at the actual borders. The meeting with a woman from Syria would help her to understand what happened the night her son disappeared.
Georgia Marangouli was born in Larissa, Greece. She studied Physics. In 2019 she graduated the Queen Margaret University of Edinburgh, having studied Film Direction. In 2019 she received an honorary award in the category of the Future of Greek Cinema at the 10th Award Ceremony by the Hellenic Film Academy. She created an Instagram one minute series called “Around Alexandras str.”
Germany/2020/13`57``
While the people of a small village prepare for the annual Alemannic carnival procession, Alexander is focusing on something completely different: his father is going to visit after one year of absence. In a sleepless night the young boy sneaks to a carnival party in his costume and tries to find his father among costumed people, carnival revelers and all kinds of creatures.
Jannis Alexander Kiefer studied AV Media in Berlin and completed several internships in Munich, Freiburg and Berlin. In 2016 he started studying Directing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, his first year film COMMENTS was selected to more than 80 festivals worldwide and won several awards. In 2019 his film KAISER//EMPEROR premiered at the 53rd international Hof Film Festival, won the BILD - KUNST Jury Prize and get broadcasted at the German TV Channel 3sat.
Director: Jannis Alexander Kiefer
Writer: Jannis Alexander Kiefer
Cinematography: Vincent Engel
Composer: Anna Kühlein
Editor: Sarah Beekmann
Producer: Anahita Safernijad
Cast: Benjamin Bay, Gabriela Lindl, Ulrich Blöcher
Russia/2019/14`48`` Русия/2019/14`48``
Director: Alexander Baskakov
Writer: Alexander Baskakov
Cinematography: Daniil Tuzhenkov
Animation: Alexander Baskakov
Composer: Alexey Volostnykh
Editor: Vadim Bunin
Producer: Anna Pyrova
Cast: Igor Savchenko, Arina Aristova, Ruslan Korenkov
The old coach receives an invitation for her girl pupil to the national fencing team. But on this day, she goes to jail for armed robbery
Alexander Baskakov (1981, Russia, Kostroma) graduated from the National University of Science and Technology of Moscow in 2004. From 2005 to 2014, worked as an IT engineer. From 2014 to 2016, worked as a DOP and assistant for several TV projects, sport and travel documentaries and advertisement. In 2017, enrolled in Moscow Film School, the Film Directing Master Program of Alexey Popogrebsky.
A young dancer struggles with her bi-cultural identity when she meets a confident young Deaf drummer who stirs up old conflicted feelings about growing up hearing in a Deaf family
Erika Davis-Marsh is an award-winning director, writer, and producer. She graduated from the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts, with her MFA in Film and Television Production and BA in Dramatic Art from UC Davis. Her thesis film CODA won the Programmer’s Award at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival, The Founder’s Award at ReelAbilities NYC 2019, Breakout Filmmaker Detroit SheTown, Best Director Angaelica Festival and numerous others.
Director: Erika Davis-Marsh
Writer: Erika Davis-Marsh
Cinematography: Ante Cheng
Composer: Philip Timofeyev, Sara Mulford
Editor: Lynna Lam
Producer: Cassandra Jones, Laurie J. Gardiner, Jevon Whetter
Cast: Kerrynton Jones, Ryan Lane, CJ Jones
Switzerland/2019/10`17`` Швейцария/2019/10`17``
Director: David Oesch
Writer: David Oesch
Cinematography: Ramón Königshausen
Composer: Janos Mijnssen
Editor: Elias Jutzet
Producer: Zurich University of the Arts
Cast: Jeanne Werner, Malika Khatir, Nic Aklin Режисьор: Давид Ош
Давид Ош
Рамон Кьонигсхаузен
Янос Мийнсен
Елиас Ютсет
Жан Вернер,
Full of hope, diligence and hunger for more, Jeanne, a young chef from a good family, starts her job in a Michelin star restaurant. To rise up in the brutal pecking order, she has to impress her merciless Chef de Cuisine which results in a war of differences in- and outside of the kitchen.
Born 1992 in Thun, Switzerland. After working as a freelance journalist and photographer for local newspapers and television he studies filmmaking at the Zurich University of the Arts. In 2019, he released three successful short films and won the Student Visionary Award at Tribeca Film Festival in 2020. He is now writing his first feature LÜGNER! with co-author Remo Rickenbacher. A genre film about lies as an infectious disease.
DANTE VS. MOHAMMED ALI /
When Wolf refuses to fight his best friend Alexander during a weekly boxing match, the whole village turns against him. He tries to convince Alexander to join him leaving the village, but his overly romantic message runs into a wall.
Marc received his Bachelor in Communications in his hometown Nijmegen. To develop his passion for film he moved to Berlin on invitation of Viola Stephan. There he completed internships for Adrian Baumeister and had many different roles on filmsets, before directing his first short films Holy Bird and Eggman. He then got selected to study Directing at the Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam, from which he graduated in 2018 with the well-received film Dante vs. Mohammed Ali. Marc Currently resides in Berlin, where he is writing a new film.
Director: Marc Wagenaar
Writer: Marc Wagenaar
Cinematography: Sjors Mosman
Composer: César Lüttger
Editor: Tobias Cornelissen
Producer: Bettie Warnier, Dominique Hoogendoorn, Hanna Burkhardt
Cast: Bas Keizer, Gijs Blom, Helmert Woudenberg, Olga Zuiderhoek
Philippines/2020/23`58``
Director: Rafael Manuel
Writer: Rafael Manuel
Cinematography: Xenia Patricia
Editor: Rafael Manuel
Producer: Rafael Manuel, Naomi Pacifique, Kyle Nieva, Kiko Meily
Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Micah Musa, Sunshine Teodoro, Elle Velasco Режисьор:
The self-contained cosmos of the golf course reflects societal structures. Although new ‚tee girl‘ Isabel still has to learn the rules, she‘s already looking for loopholes to subvert the system.
Rafael Manuel, born 1990 in Manila, is a Filipino writer, director, producer, and editor. His latest short film, Filipiñana, won the Silver Bear Short Film Jury Prize at the 70th Berlinale International Film Festival. His debut feature will be developed at Cannes Cinéfondation’s La Residence. Капсулираният
FURTHEST
In 1999, Novato, California, Jessie is enjoying what little time she has left with her best friend, Lucas. The trailer park they live in will be closed, and the whole community will be forced to evacuate, as a result of the MTBE water contamination. For Jessie, this means facing an unwanted change and learning to say goodbye to that which tethers her to her little pink trailer.
Kyung Sok Kim is a Korean writer-director based in Los Angeles. After graduating from Hanyang University in Seoul with a BA degree in Film and Theater, he moved to Los Angeles and earned his MFA degree in Directing from the American Film Institute. Derived from his own personal experiences, Kyung’s work seeks to capture the delicate emotional lines of characters who face unwanted changes in their lives.
Анимация: Бранимир Миладинов Оператор: Младен Минев Музика: Кадир Демир и Kottarashky & The Rain Dogs Монтаж: Бранимир Миладинов
Бранимир Миладинов
A seemingly ordinary computer technician is constantly mistreated for his innumerable noble deeds, until one day a halo reveals itself above his head. Despite the circle of divine light, the technician‘s life takes a turn for the worse. Could someone with such a supernatural attribute endure life and still remain truly good?
Branimir Miladinov has a Bachelor‘s degree in Cinematography. He started working as a director of Halo, attending the master class of prof. Georgi Dyulgerov at New Bulgarian University. He has experience as an actor in various projects. He started a company for creative & marketing solutions and is passionate to work on audiovisual productions.
Javi, a 13 year-old boy assaults another kid in his judo training. His teacher punishes him and he finds help on the most unexpected person: his troubled father.
Daniel Belenguer Guerrero (Barcelona, 1996). He studies screenwriting at ESCAC. In 2019, he graduates with the short film Judoka.
Director: Daniel Belenguer
Writer: Daniel Belenguer
Cinematography: Male Menéndez
Composer: César Rubio, Marta Estivill
Editor: Iñigo San Juan
Producer: Arnau Soria
Cast: Adrià Salazar, Milo Taboada, Joan Sureda
LOVE ON DIFFERENT TOPICS /
Bulgaria/2019/21`37``
България/2019/21`37``
Director: Georgi Martev
Writer: Georgi Martev
Cinematography: Yordan Georgiev
Composer: Dimo Stoyanov
Editor: Stoyan Ganev
Producer: Georgi Martev, Nikola Milenkov, Lyubomir Balabanov
Режисьор: Георги Мартев Сценарист: Георги Мартев Оператор: Йордан Георгиев Музика: Димо Стоянов Монтаж: Стоян Ганев Продуцент: Георги
Love on Different Topics follows the story of Alex, a Bulgarian guy who went abroad in pursuit of better education, as he comes home to meet his best friends after many years. In his meeting with Bilyana, however, he realises the biggest truth about himself - that nothing is more important to him than love. As he pays the price for this realisation, Alex has to find a way to live without it.
Georgi was born in 2000 in Bulgaria. His first short film, Chameleon, was part of the Official National Selection at the 16th IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival. Georgi has earned several nominations and awards in both national and international festivals. He is studying BA Film at the University of Westminster.
Abby and Luca, a couple of acrobatic artists, travel to perform from stage to stage. Their relationship is getting worse. The time of a trip by camper, they will have to face their problems and try to regain confidence in one another.
Louise Courvoisier has learned screenwriting in the National Cinema School La Cinefabrique in Lyon, France. She graduated in 2018 with a short-film she directed Mano a mano about circus artists, and won the first price at Cannes film Festival, Cinéfondation. Before being a filmmaker, she was also a singer and circus artist with her family. She likes to use this experience in her films.
Inspired by a true story, Off Beat is a film about an overweight pizza delivery guy who stumbles upon the world of ballroom dancing and meets Wendy, a misfit receptionist. After the connection and chemistry the two find together, they will both have to overcome their own insecurities in order to compete at a dance competition.
Derin Kiyak is a writer/director currently based in Los Angeles. Derin has created many short films, several of which have won awards in film festivals all over the country. He was featured in Avid Media Composer’s website as one of the “Next Generations Of Cinematic Talent.” He recently received his MFA in film from Boston University. Derin currently works as an Assistant in Hollywood, hoping to get his first feature film funded in the near future.
Even though she is exceptionally talented, Sarah is still stuck performing at small events. Today she is performing at the wedding of her ex, Jurgen. The former couple tries to stay out of each other’s way but old memories and sacrifices emerge anyway. Bravely Sarah strokes her bow over the strings, maybe she can finally find closure to the story, while around her a wedding is being celebrated.
Guy Lichtenstein was born and raised in Tel Aviv. After a Film Theory Studies at the Tel Aviv University, he spent a year in the Sam Spiegel Film & TV School in Jerusalem. He then studied Film Directing under the supervision of the director Michael Haneke at the Institute for Film & TV of the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, in Austria. Where he is currently pursuing his Masters under the supervision of director Wolfgang Murnberger.
Director: Guy Lichtenstein
Writer: Guy Lichtenstein, Andreas Schissler
Cinematography: Caroline Bobek
Editor: Alexander Rauscher
Producer: Lukas Rosatti
Cast: Cécile Grüebler, Daniel Auner, Niklas Lifert, Swintha Gersthofer, Cornelia Köndgen, Barbara Spitz
THE FILM ABOUT THE PROPELLERMAN
Switzerland/2020/22`30``
Director: Johannes Bachmann
Writer: Johannes Bachmann
Cinematography: Rafael Kistler
Composer: Max Mantis & Pamplona Grup
Editor: Claudius Andreae
Producer: Filippo Bonacci
Cast: Julian Boine, Roger Bonjour, Johannes Bachmann, Max Rüedlinger
Josef wants to fly with a propeller hat and Claudius wants to shoot his graduation film about Josef. But neither is that easy...
Johannes Bachmann (1992) grew up in Munich in a Swiss musician family. He has been studying Bachelor and Master of Arts in Film at the Zurich University of Arts. His films have received many awards (e.g. Student Academy Awards finalist) and have been shown at numerous international festivals. He lives in Zurich as a freelance film director and screenwriter.
THE LOST SCOT
After a clay shoot goes wrong, a miserable cynic, an alcoholic and an accountant find themselves lost in the Scottish Moorlands with the body of a gamekeeper.
Julien is a London based filmmaker with a Law degree from Bristol University and an MA degree in Filmmaking from The London Film School. He is an Oscar & BAFTA qualifying Producer for the short films The Beast (2020), Moshe & Amira (2020) and Dogeater (2019). His latest short film The Lost Scot (2020) won The Best Student Film at The British Independent Film Festival and was nominated for Best Directing from Directors UK. He is a member of the jury panel at the International Fréjus Film Festival and recently joined Head & Wrecker productions as Head of Development. He is currently developing his first feature film
Cinematographer: Dmitry Kirienkov, Ruslan Tarasov, Miron Kashitsyn
Composer: Andrey Nazarov, Igor Kusraev
Editor: Olesya Kashitsyna
Producer: Olesya Kashitsyna, Tatyana Overchenko
Cast: Darya Basargina, Olga Tenyakova
Masha’s mother makes hard efforts that her daughter becomes an actress. She hires the best teachers for Masha, buys expensive dresses, rings up the first place in competitions for her beloved daughter. However Masha is not happy. Masha’s mental torment becomes unbearable, but contradicting her strict mother is the most terrible thing in the world. One day, Masha finds an extraordinary way to tell mother no.
Olesya Kashitsyna was born in 1993 in Balashikha, Moscow region. She graduated from VGIK in 2005, course of Acting, then she studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Olesya finished the course of Film Editing at Higher National School of Television in 2009. In 2019 she graduated from Moscow Film School.
A driven and conscientious girl at China’s premier dance school gets the lead position in a prestigious performance but struggles to accept it after she learns that her mother has bribed the teacher to buy her the part.
Jiawei Cheng was born and raised in China, where she trained as professional pianist. Her love for film brought her to the U.S, where she earned a BFA in Film and TV production from New York University and an MFA degree in Directing from American Film Institute. Her short films have screened at many film festivals cross the world.
Director: Jiawei Cheng
Writer: Jiawei Cheng, Dhruv Kanungo
Cinematography: Leo Purman
Composer: Yinhang Tao, Chad Cannon
Editor: Yiqing Yu
Producer: Danwen Lei, Fernando Barajas
Cast: Michelle Chung, Leann Lei
BEST STUDENT ANIMATION FILM CATEGORY
France/2019/04`50``
Director: Paul-Eugène Dannaud, Julia Chaix, Lorraine Desserre, Alice Lefort, Natacha Pianeti, Quentin Tireloque
Writer: Paul-Eugène Dannaud, Julia Chaix, Lorraine Desserre, Alice Lefort, Natacha Pianeti, Quentin Tireloque
Animation: Alice Lefort, Quentin Tireloque
Composer: Kevin Bardin
Editor: Paul-Eugène Dannaud
Producer: Philippe Meis
On the Bonneville Salt Flats, the sound of roaring engines can be heard in the distance. At the wheel is Icarus, a chimpanzee hell-bent on transcending the limits of speed. Aboard iconic and increasingly powerful vehicles, Icarus will attempt to reach the ultimate speed of 400 Mph, thought to be impossible for land vehicles. As Icarus reaches for the sky, will he prevail or be consumed by his self-destructive quest?
Paul-Eugène Dannaud, Julia Chaix, Lorraine Desserre, Alice Lefort, Natacha Pianeti and Quentin Tireloque have graduated from Supinfocom Rubika School (Valenciennes, France) with a Master in Digital Directing. In 2019, they co-directed the short film 400 Mph
Vast plains, colorful sceneries, a red dog, that seems to reach into the sky. This is how Tom experiences summer in Blieschow, his grandfather’s farm. He feels overwhelmed by the exuberance of nature and finds himself in a constant competition with his cousin, who is seemingly better at everything. Envy starts to grow in little Tom. Doing everything to be recognized and loved Tom soon reaches his limits.
Christoph Sarow was born in 1984 in Bergen, Rügen in East Germany. In 2011 he began studying Animation in Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. In his practice semester he worked as an intern at the animation and advertising company Psyop in New York City. In 2018 Christoph graduated from the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and has since been working as freelance director, animator and illustrator.
Director: Christoph Sarow
Writer: Christoph Sarow, Simon Thummet
Cinematographer: Christoph Sarow
Animation: Christoph Sarow, Sofiia Melnyk, Janina Putzker, Sarah Schultz, Laura Staab
Composer: Andreas Pfeiffer
Editor: Christoph Sarow
Producer: Lena-Carolin Lohfink
Belarus/Czech Republic/2020/05`40``
Director: Aliona Baranova
Writer: Aliona Baranova
Animation: Aliona Baranova
Composer: Petr Mazoch
Editor: Jan Saska
Producer: University of Tomas Bata in Zlin
A huge sailor receives a lovely autumn leaf from a little girl. It reminds him of his home. How long has he been away? The sailor takes off after his memories. He runs to meet his old parents. What will he find there?
Aliona was born in Russia and grew up in Belarus. She studied Animation in the Czech Republic and stayed there. Both of her student films are about homesickness. Somehow. Aliona loves colors. Her goal is to make enjoyable films. Her dream is to create educational and funny series for children about recycling garbage and composting.
In an izakaya, a chef notices a group of special guests. He decides to serve them a variety of signature dishes.
With traditional painting experience over 15 years, Chen, Po Chien is a computer animation artist making animated films with focus on our environment and human goodness. Po Chien is currently studying Digital Creature Animation at Sheridan College in Canada, focusing on surfacing, lighting and rigging. Po Chien’s recent film, Selfish, which talks about the marine debris issue, has been exhibited around the world and selected in several film festivals in Asia, Europe and USA.
Producer: Peter Badač, Patrick Hernandez, Véronique Siegel
The caretaker exhausted by everything, his frustrated wife and one totally depressed deer. Their mutual despair leads them to absurd events, because...shit happens all the time.
Michaela and David have been cooperating since 2013. They have started to drink beer together and in some years, they have collaborated on animated videos for Instagram, Google, Annecy and some others. They have directed few films separately, and SH_T HAPPENS is their first film project together. They have a dog called Ela.
Tango is so much more than just desire - it can reveal our most intimate stories, innermost longings and needs, our secrets. Is it possible to find satisfaction and relief in this dance of constant longing?
Marta Szymanska, born in 1991 in Warsaw, director and animator, graduate from Lodz Film School (Animation and special effects), graduate from Art School in Warsaw. Her animations Oranges and Moko were screened on many festivals all over the world. Tango of Longing is her graduation film combining her love of painting with animation.
Director: Marta Szymańska
Writer: Marta Szymańska
Cinematographer: Marta Szymańska
Animation: Marta Szymańska
Composer: Patryk Zakrocki
Editor: Marta Szymańska
Producer: Agata Golanska
THE BEAR HUNTER /
Japan/2019/07`27`` Япония/2019/07`27``
Director: Sayaka Hara
Writer: Kenji Miyazawa
Animation: Sayaka Hara
Composer: Mari Funabashi
Editor: Ping Lin
Cast: Sumiko Wakatsuki, Mamoru Goino
A hunter who lives in the mountain knows the bears well. She apologizes to each bear every time she kills one, but she has to, for it is how she makes her living. One evening, she comes across a bear and when she is about to kill it, the bear speaks to her.
Sayaka Hara is an animator from Nagano, Japan. After learning design at Tama Art University in Tokyo, she was inspired by European animation styles and went to Central Saint Martins to study animation.
Germany/2019/04`14`` Германия/2019/04`14``
What if plastic could be integrated into sea life?
Take a deep breath and dive into a world, where feelings of guilt dissolve amongst the mysterious depths of the ocean. A world where we encounter bizarre creatures and discover eerily beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately, our air doesn’t last forever and we have to realize that nature alone can‘t solve this global issue.
Pascal is an award-winning director and 3D artist. He offers an infinite passion for telling stories and computer generated images. Based on a long term experiences and a graduation at the Institute of Animation, he features a various range of CG and design skills.
Left alone in the deepest of the summer, Malo and Zoe are trying their best to catch their mother’s elusive eye.
Born in 1996, Héloïse Ferlay is currently studying Animation Cinema at ENSAD, in her final year. She grew up near the turquoise lakes of Savoy, moving to the capital for her studies. Her first short film Geôlier was her first tousled adventure in stop-motion animation. She is currently putting her sweat, laughter and tears into her graduation film: To the Dusty Sea
UN DIABLE DANS LA POCHE /
A group of children witnesses a crime and is forced to remain silent. Auguste, the youngest, finds the burden too heavy and decides to reveal this secret. To punish this treason, the rest of the kids plan to get rid of him.
Former students from Gobelins, l’école de l’image, they graduated with this film.
Director: Antoine Bonnet, Mathilde Loubes
Writer: Antoine Bonnet, Mathilde Loubes
Animation: Antoine Bonnet, Mathilde Loubes
Composer: Anna Cordonnier, Amandine Robillard
Editor: Antoine Bonnet, Mathilde Loubes
Producer: Moïra Marguin
Cast: Mathilde Loubes
ON FOCUS
ACADEMY AWARDS - OSCAR by ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, also known as simply the Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion pictures. The Academy's corporate management and general policies are overseen by a Board of Governors, which includes representatives from each of the craft branches.
The roster of the Academy's approximately 6,000 motion picture professionals is a "closely guarded secret". While the great majority of its members are based in the United States, membership is open to qualified filmmakers around the world.
The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are a set of 24 awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry, given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership.
In 1932 AMPAS initiated a short subject awards. This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. Best Animated Short Film is an award given annually since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931–32, to the present. The present title also began with the 1974 awards.
2020 BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM OSCAR NOMINEES
A SISTER
Belgium/2018/16`00``
Director: Delphine Girard
Producer: Jacques-Henri Bronckart
A night. A car. Alie is in trouble. To get by she must make the most important call of her life.
Born in the heart of the French-Canadian winter, Delphine Girard moved to Belgium a few years later. After starting her studies as an actress, she transferred to the directing department at the INSAS in Brussels. Her graduation film, MONSTRE, won several awards in Belgium and around the world. After leaving the school, she worked on several films as an assistant director, children’s coach or casting director (Our Children by Joachim Lafosse, Mothers’ Instinct by Olivier Masset-Depasse) while writing and directing the short film CAVERNE, adapted from a short story by the American author Holly Goddard Jones. A SISTER is her second short film. She is currently working on her first feature and a fiction series.
Mohamed is a hardened shepherd living in rural Tunisia with his wife and two sons. Mohamed is deeply shaken when his oldest son Malik returns home after a long journey with a mysterious new wife. Tension between father and son rises over three days until reaching a breaking point.
Tunisian-American writer/director Meryam Joobeur is a graduate of Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montréal. She is currently developing three feature films including the feature version of BROTHERHOOD and has participated in the Berlinale Talent Lab (2016), TIFF Talent Lab (2016) and the Rawi Screenwriter’s Lab (2016).
Director: Meryam Joobeur
Producer: Habib Attia, Sarra Ben-Hassen, Maria Gracia Turgeon (Midi la nuit), Meryam Joobeur, Annick Blanc, Andréas Rocksen
Rawi Screenwriter’s Lab (2016).
NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB / ФК “НЕФТА”
France/Tunisia/2018/17`00``
Director: Yves Piat
Producer: Damien Megherbi, Justin Pechberty
Two young brothers come across a donkey in the desert. Strangely, the animal is wearing headphones over its ears.
Yves Piat discovered the world of cinema through his technician work as a decorator and studio manager on set. He developed the Nefta Football Club story by mixing a personal experience coming from his childhood and his observations after several journeys in South Morocco.
USA/2019/22`00`` САЩ/2019/22`00``
SARIA is the tale of two inseparable orphaned sisters, Saria and Ximena, as they fight against daily abuse and unimaginable hardship at Virgen de la Asuncion Safe Home in Guatemala. Our story follows the events leading up to the tragic fire in 2017 that claimed the lives of 41 orphaned girls. SARIA is premiering at the 2020 Oscar Shorts.
The New York Times has dubbed Oscar-Nominee Bryan Buckley the “King of the Super Bowl,” having directed over 60 commercials for the big game since 2000. In 2013, Buckley wrote and directed the short film ASAD, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Buckley is an esteemed recipient of the DGA award, multiple Emmys, and over 50 Cannes lions. Most recently, he won the 2019 Cannes Grand prix for his work on MARCH FOR OUR LIVES “GENERATION LOCKDOWN”.
Director: Bryan Buckley
Producer: Matt Lefebvre, Aura Santamaria
THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW /
USA/2019/20`00``
САЩ/2019/20`00``
Director: Marshall Curry
Producer: Jonathan Olson, Julia Kennelly, Elizabeth Martin
THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW tells the story of Alli, a mother of young children who has grown frustrated with her daily routine and husband. But her life is shaken up when two free-spirited twenty-somethings move in across the street and she discovers that she can see into their apartment.
Marshall Curry is a three-time Academy Award nominated documentary director, cinematographer, and editor. His films cover a wide range of interests and have won top honors at Sundance and Tribeca, played in theaters and on television around the world, and earned two Emmy nominations and two Writers Guild of America nominations.
2020 BEST LIVE ACTION ANIMATED OSCAR NOMINEES
Czech Republic/2019/5`00`
Чехия/2019/15`00``
Director: Daria Kashcheeva
Producer: Zuzana Roháčová, Martin Vandas
In a hospital room, the Daughter recalls a childhood moment when as a little girl she tried to share her experience with an injured bird with her Father. A moment of misunderstanding and a lost embrace has stretched into many years all the way to this hospital room, until the moment when a window pane breaks under the impact of a little bird.
Daria Kashcheeva studies Animated Film at FAMU in Prague. Her student films featured at many international festivals. Daria’s original To Accept won the Nespresso Talents 2017 film competition in Cannes. In DAUGHTER, her Bachelor’s puppet animation, Daria experiments with camera motion and explores the topic of father-daughter relationships.
USA/2019/07`00``
HAIR LOVE is a heartfelt animated short film that centers around the relationship between an African-American father, his daughter Zuri, and the most daunting task a father could ever come across - doing his daughter’s hair for the first time.
After retiring from the NFL, Matthew A. Cherry moved to LA, and switched gears to begin work as a production assistant. After working on over forty commercials, he developed his skills as a director.
Everett Downing Jr. is an animator, story artist and director living in LA. He began his career as a story artist before making his break into feature film, animating on the original ICE AGE
Bruce W. Smith is a feature film director, animator and television producer. He is currently signed to an overall deal at Disney TV Animation.
Director: Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., Bruce W. Smith
Producer: Matthew A. Cherry, Karen Rupert Toliver, Monica A. Young, Stacey Newton, David Steward II, Carl Reed
USA/2019/09`00``
Director: Rosana Sullivan
Producer: Kathryn Hendrickson
KITBULL, directed by Rosana Sullivan and produced by Kathryn Hendrickson, reveals an unlikely connection that sparks between two creatures: a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. Together, they experience friendship for the first time.
Born in Charleston, SC, Rosana Sullivan grew up in Texas and San Francisco. She attended the University of San Francisco before earning an internship with Pixar University. She later attended Academy of Art University, and worked for Kabam gaming studio in San Francisco. Sullivan joined Pixar animation Studios in April 2011. She worked as a story artist on THE GOOD DINOSAUR, and the Academy Award® winning feature film COCO. Sullivan also directed the SparkShorts film KITBULL that debuted in February 2019.
France/2019/12`00`` Франция/2019/12`00``
Recently, Louis, a painter, is experiencing strange events. His world seems to be mutating. Slowly, furniture, objects and people lose their realism. They are destructuring, sometimes disintegrating.
Born in 1965 in Saint-Brieuc, France, Bruno C ollet got his art Degree from the Rennes College of Fine arts in 1990. From 1993 he worked as a set designer on numerous productions in stop motion before starting his career as an author director in 2001 with LE DOS AU MUR, awarded at the Cannes critic’s Week. THE LITTLE DRAGON, his stop-motion animated tribute to Bruce Lee, won 48 awards and was selected at Sundance Film Fest. MEMORABLE is his sixth short film.
Director: Bruno Collet
Producer: Jean-François Le Corre, Mathieu Courtois
China/USA/2018/08`00`` Китай/САЩ/2018/08`00``
Director: Siqi Song
Producer: Siqi Song
A man thinks back to his childhood memories of growing up with an annoying little sister in China in the 1990s. What would his life have been like if things had gone differently?
Born in China, Siqi Song is a Writer/Director/Animator based in Los Angeles. Song is the recipient of the 2018 LAIKA Аnimation Fellowship and Film Independent Project Involve Fellow. Her work has won top awards at Aspen ShortsFest, Austin Film Festival, Foyle Film Festival and have been shown in many prestigious film festivals, including Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival and more. Song holds a BA from China Central Academy of Fine Arts and an MFA from California institute of the Arts.
Aspen ShortsFest, Austin Film Festival, Foyle Film Festival
Magda and Kalin are deeply in love, but their time together is too short. This relationship creates conflicts at home between Magda and her husband, Ivailo. They love their son Joan very much. Magda is under excessive pressure and has to make a decision. The pain is inevitable.
Julian Rachev is a director, writer and editor. In 2018 he graduated Television & Film Directing in National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA), Sofia. In 2020 he studied Master Cinema Producing. He has around 40 shows as a director on the most watched TV show on Saturday night in Bulgarian air - The Show of the Channel. He was director of 25 fiction and documentary short films and 10 music videos. Editor of more than 50 documentary short films. Creator of over a 100 videos and commercials.
ALYOSHA AND THE CAT
Bulgaria/2020/13`30`` България/2020/13`30``
Alyosha and the Cat is a film about an unusual encounter in front of Alyosha monument on Bunardzhika Hill in Plovdiv. Through the means of the song, the film shows two different perspectives on the monument, its background and how mythologies were born. The main characters Katharina and Vasil respond on the song Alyosha from 1966 with the song Aleksey Skurutatov, which was specially created for the film.
Katharina Swoboda studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her work is predominantly video-based and have been presented at festivals worldwide.
Kamen Stoyanov studied visual arts at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and film at the New Bulgarian University. His films were shown at festivals worldwide.
Philip receives a phone call from Stoyan, an old friend who he hasn’t seen for a long time. They decide to meet, drink beer and watch the football game. But things take an unexpected turn as Stoyan comes dressed as a woman.
Deyan Bararev, born 1987 in Sofia, is a writer, director and producer from Bulgaria. He has graduated Film and Television in New Bulgarian University and is a Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents alumni. Deyan has written, produced and directed several award winning short films, one of which is the controversial Botev is an idiot (2012). Baikal (2020) is Deyan’s latest short film, tackling the theme of homosexuality, another very sensitive topic in Bulgaria.
Режисьор: Деян Барарев Сценарист: Горана Йованович Оператор: Георги Маринов
An unhappy, antisocial employee is forced to practice love and gratitude during a corporate volunteering day. But it‘s through an act of cruelty that she’s able to connect to another human being and experience a moment of true compassion.
Ralitza Petrova studied Film and Video art at University of the Arts London, and later Fiction Directing at the UK’s National Film and TV School. Her short films have won wide acclaim at the film festivals circuit. In 2016, her feature debut GODLESS premiered at Locarno, where it won four awards. Since, the film has won 27 awards, and has been nominated for an European Discovery 2017 – Prix FIPRESCI award by the EFA. R. Petrova is a fellow of the DAAD Aritist-in-Berlin Program 2019, where she developed her next feature film.
Director: Ralitza Petrova
Writer: Ralitza Petrova
Cinematography: Kiril Prodanov
Composer: Gabriela Kayso, Simon Muschinsky, Chris Collins, Ralitca Georgieva
Editor: Toma Vasharov, Ralitza Petrova
Producer: Screening EmotionsPoli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Cast: Slava Doycheva, Anguelina Ranguelova
Bulgaria/2019/19`00``
България/2019/19`00``
Director: Pavel G. Vesnakov
Writer: Pavel G. Vesnakov
Cinematography: Orlin Ruevski
Composer: Kosta T.
Editor: Pavel G. Vesnakov
Producer: Screening Emotions - Poli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Cast: Georgi Ivanov, Yoana BukovskaDavidova, Daniel Rashev, Ivan Paskov
31 years after Chernobyl disaster a man in Bulgaria finds a strange creature in his backyard. When the police fails to help him find its origin, he is forced to turn to God.
Pavel G. Vesnakov graduated in Film Directing from the New Bulgarian University. His short films Trains, The Paraffin Prince, Pride and Zeus brought him awards from the film festivals in Sarajevo, Clermont-Ferrand, Brest, Balchik, Sofia and others. His film Pride won both the Grand prize and nomination for the European Film Awards at one of the most important short film festivals in Europe - the one in Clermont-Ferrand. In the international competition selection of the event were selected 75 films from all over the world, selected from over 6,500 candidates. With this film, Vesnakov won for the second time Golden Rose for a short film. His next film Zeus had a world premiere at Locarno International Film Festival, one of the four A-class festivals in Europe.
Режисьор: Павел Г. Веснаков Сценарист: Павел Г. Веснаков
Оператор: Орлин Руевски Музика: Коста Т. Монтаж: Павел Г. Веснаков Продуцент: Скрийнинг ИмоушънсПоли Ангелова, Елена Мошолова, Николай Тодоров
Maggie struggles to combines her extraordinary job as a mistress and her complicated long-distance relationship.
Director and producer of short movies and videos. Founder at Rad Thrill Films. Cinema student at Artin Vision Film Academy.
Director: Radoslav Radoslavov
Writer: Radoslav Radoslavov
Cinematography: Radoslav Radoslavov
Editor: Radoslav Radoslavov
Producer: Rad Thrill Films
Cast: Tsvetina Petrova, Konstantin Sokolov, Stanislav Kondov
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
Bulgaria/2019/10`09``
България/2019/10`06``
Director: Ral Dobreva
Writer: Alexander Yaneff
Cinematography: Stoyan Radkov
Animation: Stoyan Radkov
Composer: Momchil Shishkov, Ral Dobreva
Editor: Stoyan Radkov
Producer: Ral Dobreva, Stoyan Radkov, Alexander Yaneff
Cast: Ivaylo Grancharov, George Arabadaba, Boris Takov, George Zlatarev, Harry Helper, Steven London, Anton Poryazov
Режисьор: Рал Добрева
Сценарист: Александър Янев
Анимация: Стоян Радков
Оператор: Стоян Радков
Музика: Момчил Шишков, Рал Добрева
Монтаж: Стоян Радков Продуцент: Рал Добрева, Стоян Радков, Александър Янев
Участват: И. Грънчаров, Дж. Арабадаба,
Double Exposure puts us into an almost empty cinema hall during a night screening with Sean, Patrick, Rudy, Ulrich, Selena and Martin. They all seem to enjoy the movie they are watching until George & Craig join in the middle of the screening.
Born in Bulgaria, Dobrich, Ralitsa Dobreva spent her youth years as a part of The Russian school-form for a proffesional pianists in Dobrich until she turned fourteen. Ralitsa found herself inspired by all kind of arts and decided to keep the music and to go hand by hand with something new - visual art and the next 5 years after graduating high school, she is going to successfully graduate in the department Cinema and Television as a Movie Director at New Bulgarian University. Her passion to make beautiful images puts the world into the right place.
Bulgaria/2019/25`00`` България/2019/19`00``
Bibby’s best and only friend Theo lives on the roof. The two are so inseparable that Bibby can’t focus on anything else and her cello lessons suffer for it. Their carefree coexistence is about to change when Bibby meets a guitar-playing runaway teenager who has set up camp on the same roof.
Petar Valchanov and Кristina Grozeva began to work in creative tandem as students at NATFA. The two are members of the EFA, co-scriptwriters and co-directors of the short film Jump nominated for the European Film Awards in 2013 and winner of a number of awards. Their first feature film The Lesson has over 30 awards from international festivals. Their second feature film Glory is the Bulgarian nomination for a foreign language Oscar for 2017. Their third feature film The Father is a winner of the biggest prize for Bulgarian cinema in recent years – Chrystal Globe at Karlovi Vary Film Festival 2019.
Director: Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva
Writer: Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva
Cinematography: Kiril Prodanov
Composer: Mira Iskarova
Editor: Valeria Usheva, Petar Valchanov
Producer: Screening EmotionsPoli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Producer: Screening Emotions - Poli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Cast: Adelina Zhelyazkova, Pavel G. Vesnakov, Grigor Antonov, Srebrina Tomofey
A young artist is at a crossroads in her life. A married businessman offers her a marriage, and an unknown poet sends her weekly letters of poems written specifically for her. She goes to see an old friend from the art school, hoping he can understand her.
Nikolay Todorov was born in 1979 in Sofia. He graduated in Film Directing at the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts Kr. Sarafov in 2006, in the class of Prof. Georgi Dyulgerov. His graduate film The Minutes After won the Jameson Award for Best Short Film at Sofia Film Fest and the Award of the festival at Cork Film Festival, Ireland and has several international awards and multiple selections at international festivals. His short film Before I Sleep was awarded by Emir Kusturica as the Most Poetic Film at the International Film Festival in Mokra Gora, Serbia.
Режисьор: Николай Тодоров Сценарист: Николай Тодоров
Оператор: Кирил Проданов
Музика: Христо Намлиев
Монтаж: Николай Тодоров Продуцент: Николай Тодоров
Bulgaria/2019/29`50``
An homage to the city of Plovdiv and the author’s memories, the film follows a solitary man who wanders around the empty streets of Plovdiv in an attempt to return to his home. Meanwhile, various figures roam the fragmented spaces of the house from his memories. As with every return, what is closest to the heart inevitably remains intangible.
Born in 1988, Dimitar earned a BA degree in Film Studies at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. In 2014 Dimitar completed a Masters degree at Screen Academy Scotland. His graduation film ECCE HOMO has been screened in many international film festivals. In 2018 Dimitar filmed his first feature film Lament for the Silent Fool. In 2019 Dimitar completed a short-film called Home Far Away for the KINOPLOVDIV project.
Director: Dimitar Kutmanov
Writer: Dimitar Kutmanov
Cinematography: Dian Zagorchinov
Editor: Dimitar Kutmanov
Producer: Poli Angelova, Nikolay Todorov, Elena Mosholova
Cast: Yordan Chichikov, Plamena Ivanova, Anna Naydenova, Nadezhda Chausheva, Andrei Mladenov, Dimitar Kutmanov Snr.
Bulgaria/2019/18`00``
България/2019/18`00``
Director: Lyubomir Mladenov
Writer: Lyubomir Mladenov
Cinematography: Dian Zagorchinov
Editor: Lyubomir Mladenov
Producer: Screening EmotionsPoli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Cast: Nadezhda Koleva, Alexander Benev
Vera receives a parcel with no name and address. The mysterious gift gets her deeper into the abyss of her consciousness, to the border between reality and the beyond. There she meets Ivan, her guide through a labyrinth, where Vera’s survival is at stake.
Lyubomir Mladenov graduated from the Academy of Arts in Sofia and NATFA “Kr. Sarafov”. He is the author of the films 34, his feature debut Hunting Park, the documentary Vitosha and the feature film Ship in a Room, which in 2017 was presented in the competition program of the International Film Festival in Tokyo and in a number of other film festivals.
Режисьор: Любомир Младенов
Сценарист: Любомир Младенов
Оператор: Диан Загорчинов
Монтаж: Любомир Младенов
Продуцент: Скрийнинг ИмоушънсПоли Ангелова,
A man falls for a girl , who happens to be his guide at a contemporary technology event. As he happens to like her instantly, it all comes to test as it turns out she’s a robot. Through the bond they develop, the man starts doubting his humanity. However with the help of his boss, he finds his proof that he’s actually a human being.
Krasimira Dukovska - actress, theater and film director, screenwriter / playwright. Author and Director of short documentaries and feature films. In last year’s edition of the IN THE PALACE festival, her documentary The World of Sisi was in the official selection.
Director: Krasimira Dukovska
Writer: Krasimira Dukovska
Cinematography: Petar Petrov
Animation: Petar Petrov
Editor: Petar Petrov, Teodora Vasileva
Producer: Javada Film, Krasimira Dukovska
Cast: Kitodar Todorov, Nadia Keranova, Kristina Hristova, Emil Videv
An inspiring story about the winding road of the first Roma actress in Bulgaria, officially graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. From the everyday life’s challenges, to the sacrifices in the name of theater, and the trust in the great Roma cause – education for the ghetto. Nataliya Tsekova – THE WOMAN, THE ACTRESS, THE PERSON.
Vilma Kartalska finished her acting studies at Theatre College Luben Groys. Since 2012 she has worked as a producer, director, scriptwriter in the field of short films and theater. Her first three projects won multiple international awards. In 2015 she founded the production company Raiza Vilm Productions Ltd. At the moment she is completing her MA in Directing Film&TV at New Bulgarian University.
Bulgaria/2019/19`04``
A 13-year-old Nina is feeling trapped in her relation with the bossy Vassil, who is preparing her to be a skilled pickpocket in Spain. There are days when she is almost ready to run away from him.
Hristo Simeonov is a filmmaker based in Sofia. He is a Berlinale and Sarajevo Talent Campus alumni. His short films are shown at international festivals like Clermont-Ferrand, Tampere, Krakow, Dresden, Cottbus, Molodist, Bilbao, Triest, Thessaloniki, Vienna, Tel Aviv etc. His debut short film THE SON (2015) won the Main Short Film Prize at Cottbus Film Festival (2016) and Best Bulgarian Short Film at the Bulgarian Film Academy Awards (2016) and other 15 awards.
Director: Hristo Simeonov
Writer: Konstantin Bojanov
Cinematography: Vesselin Hristov
Composer: Goran Andrich
Editor: Hristo Simeonov
Producer: Poli Angelova, Elena Mosholova, Nikolay Todorov
Cast: Plamena Stefanova, Margita Gosheva, Borislav Rusev, dog Lili
Sharp climate change and natural disasters remind us that everything depends on us, the people. Disrupting nature through our actions, we are contributing to the global collapse of the planet. With these short films, we call out: People Think!
Born in 1956, Sofia, Bulgaria. A graduate of the Photography college. 1973 -1993 worked as a Director of Photography at the Animated Films’ Studio Sofia. Has more than 85 animated films, many of which awarded with prestigious international awards. Since 1994 Vera Doneva has been working with the Nagual Production Company as an editor, supervisor, assistant-director and director of photography.
The film is about a person’s state of mind, under a long quarantine.
Dimitar Dimitrov was born on March 30th 1975 Sofia Buglaria. He gets his Master degree as an Animation Director at NATFA in 2003 graduating from Professor Donyo Donev class.
Director: Dimitar Dimitrov
Writer: Dilyan Elenkov
Cinematography: Dimitar Dimitrov
Animation: Dimitar Dimitrov
Composer: Dimitar Dimitrov
Editor: Dimitar Dimitrov
Producer: Dimitar Dimitrov
Bulgaria/2020/17`30``
Director: Victoria Karakoleva
Writer: Victoria Karakoleva, Mina Hristova, Rosen Savkov
Cinematography: Rosen Savkov
Editor: Victoria Karakoleva
Producer: Lyubo Yonchev, Rosen Savkov
Cast: Luizabel Nikolova, Alexander Kanev, Neli Monedzikova
Whole her life, Aya has felt like she is cursed to be alone forever. One day in her dream, she sees her fearsome spell, that almost blends in with the reality. But Aya carries a secret that can set her free.
Victoria Karakoleva is a film director born in Sofia, Bulgaria on 10.09.1992. In 2018 she got her degree from NATFA – National Academy of Theater and Film Arts in Sofia. She has several short student films and her first professional short film is Shadows, which was selected and awarded at several international festivals.
A journey of a bucket filled with a sea water starts and continues up a steep cliff. On the cliff a man takes the bucket and carries it through an unfinished hotel. In the hotel we see scenes recalling existing works of art and performances by contemporary artists. String quartet plays in the trench of the planned pool.
Kamen Stoyanov studied visual arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and film at the New Bulgarian University. His short Up and Through was awarded as Best Experimental at the February-March at Dumbo Film Festival 2020 and got best experimental nominee at Long Story Shorts 2020, International Film Festival, Bucharest.
Director: Kamen Stoyanov
Writer: Kamen Stoyanov
Cinematography: Marin Kafedjiiski
Composer: Bojidar Spassov
Editor: Kamen Stoyanov, Katharina Swoboda
Producer: Kamen Stoyanov
Cast: Teodor Stoychev, Stoycho Stoychev, Victoria Dimova, Alexander Todorov, Bojidar Spassov, Quartet Frosch
Composer: Sergei Djokanov, Simo Lazarov, Lubomir Velev
Editor: George Stamenov
Producer: Tim Webb - Royal College of Art
Cast: Hayley Hirsch, Maximillian Davey
Юнак без
може - А brave fellow is bound to have wounds.
The work depicts a series of “unnecessary memories” from the director’s childhood. Reminiscences, not related to a significant event, unnecessarily stored in his mind. All shots in the film are abstract depictions of the director’s personal “unnecessary memories”.
Bulgarian artist and director George Stamenov examines the immersive possibilities of story telling by challenging the dogmas of contemporary film making. His short films carry a unique aesthetic that is derived from Eastern Europe
