Seven of the feature films are supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center with production grants; three films are coproduced with the Bulgarian National Television; five are privately financed, оne of which has a distribution grant from the Bulgarian National Film Center.
Five films from the official competition are international coproductions: two have majority and the other three have minority Bulgarian participation. Two other coproductions with minority Bulgarian participation will be screened out of the competition.
Fоur feature competition films are debuts for their Bulgarian-born directors.
The festival opened on 20 September 2023 with the most recent documentary by Tonislav Hristov The Last Seagull, which is a coproduction between Finland’s Making Movies, Bulgaria’s Soul Food and Norvegia’s UpNorth Film.
The Golden Rose National Film Festival, organised by the Bulgarian National Film Center with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Varna municipality, is the most important public event, dedicated to all forms of Bulgarian feature film production. The festival was created in 1961 and is traditionally held in Varna.
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION:
The Good Driver (Finland, Bulgaria, Sweden)
Directed by Tonislav Hristov
Produced by Making Movies
Coproduced by Soul Food, Cinenic Film, Film i Väst
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Finnish Film Foundation, the Swedish Film Institute, Eurimages, in partnership with YLE 1 Television and the Bulgarian National Television
Blaga’s Lessons (Bulgaria, Germany)
Directed by Stephan Komandarev
Produced by Argo Film
Coproduced by 42film
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Bulgarian National Television, Eurimages (https://www.coe.int/en/web/eurimages), Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, German Film Fund MDM
Phi 1.618 (Bulgaria, Canada)
Directed by Theodore Ushev
Produced by Peripeteia, Moviemento
Coproduced by WaZabi Films
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Vasil (Spain, Bulgaria)
Directed by Avelina Prat
Produced by Distinto Films
Coproduced by Activist 38
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, ICA Cine Instituto Creativo Audiovisual Americano, Cultural Institute of Valencia, GVA Invat·tur, ICEC, Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, RTVE, TV3, Institut Ramon Llull, ICO, CREA SGR
Memoir of a Betrayal (Bulgaria)
Directed by Georgi Dyulgerov
Produced by the Bulgarian National Television
Coproduced by Borough Film, Doli Media Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Bulgarian National Television
Dyad (Bulgaria)
Directed by Yana Titova
Produced by Portokal
Coproduced by No Blink, Sonus, Right Soutions
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, the National Culture Fund Bulgaria
Plague (Bulgaria)
Directed by Ivan Vladimirov
Produced by Miramar film
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Scent of Linden (USA, Bulgaria)
Directed by Sissy Denkova
Produced by Reflective Project Pictures
Coproduced by Gold Leaf Films
Supportedby The Film Collaborative, Memphis Film & TV Commission, TN Entertainment Commission, USA
Apostol: A Gentle Knight in Brutalia (Bulgaria)
Directed by Peter Rusev
Produced by Doli Media Studio, Gallant Spirit Productions
Game of Trust (Bulgaria)
Directed by Martin Makariev
Produced by Spirit Production House
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
The Pulse of the Dance (Bulgaria)
Directed by Georgi Kostov
Produced by Media Productions 2000
Supported by the Municipality of Burgas
Chalga (Bulgaria)
Directed by Marian Valev
Produced by Wolfsbane Films
