Six feature films from the official competition are coproductions with majority Bulgarian participation. Two are coproduced with France, two with Romania, one with Germany and one with Portugal and Luxembourg.
Three coproductions were supported by Eurimages and two participated in the 2020 and 2021 Cannes Film Festival's Official Selections. There are four fiction debuts and five second feature films. Two Bulgarian minority coproductions will be screened out of competition.
The festival will open with Igor Ivanov’s Only Human, a coproduction between North Macedonia’s Skopje Film Studio, Bulgaria’s Gala Film, Serbia’s Art & Popcorn, Slovenia’s Iridium Film and Kosovo’s Trigger. “Composed of six different stories and spoken in three languages, with a Serbian DoP (Maja Radošević) and a Bulgarian sound designer (Boris Trayanov), the film is emblematic for the Balkan region. It shows that neighbouring people can support each other both artistically and technically”, said producer Galina Toneva.
Bulgaria’s experienced media expert Prof. Dr Ivo Draganov will head the jury next to the famous actress Irmena Chichikova and art historian Plamena Dimitrova-Racheva, alongside the artistic director of Ukraine’s Molodist IFF, Andriy Khalpakhchi, and the Cyprus Eurimages and Cinema Officer - Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, Diomides Nikita. The same jury will decide on the short films competition winners.
This year the Bulgarian National Film Center will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
Feature Film Competition:
A Twisted World (Bulgaria)
Directed by Marius Kurkinsky
Produced by ARS Digital Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
German Lessons (Bulgaria, Germany)
Directed by Pavel G. Vesnakov
Produced by Moviemento
Coproduced by Heimathafen Film & Media
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein Fund
Humble (Bulgaria, Romania)
Directed by Svetoslav Draganov
Produced by Cineaste Maudit Production
Coproduced by Contrast Films, Parada Film, the Romanian Television
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Petya of My Petya (Bulgaria)
Directed by Alexander Kossev
Produced by BOF Pictures, Concept Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Burgas Municipality
January (Bulgaria, Portugal, Luxembourg)
Directed by Andrey M. Paunov
Produced by Portokal
Coproduced by BNT, Terratreme Filmes, Tarantula
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Portuguese Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual, Film Fund Luxembourg, the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme
Women Do Cry (Bulgaria, France)
Directed by Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
Produced by Activist 38
Coproduced by Ici et La Productions, ARTE France Cinema
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Ile de France, Eurimages
The Naked Truth about Zhiguli Band (Bulgaria)
Directed by Victor Bojinov
Produced by Concept Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Burgas Municipality
I Don’t Like You (Bulgaria)
Directed by Borislav Kostov
Produced by VAIK – Valeriy Kostov
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
In The Heart of the Machine (Bulgaria)
Directed by Martin Makariev
Produced by Forward Pictures Entertainment
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
February (Bulgaria, France)
Directed by Kamen Kalev
Produced by Waterfront
Coproduced by Koro Films
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Ile de France, Eurimages
Uncle Claus (Bulgaria)
Directed by Ivaylo Penchev
Produced by Cinemaq
Coproduced by Urban Media
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Fish Bone (Bulgaria, Romania)
Directed by Dragomir Sholev
Produced by KLAS Film
Coproduced by the Bulgarian National Television, Hi Film Productions, the Romanian Television
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Romanian Film Centre, Eurimages
