28/03/2023 - The film, which is a co-production between Mexico and Italy, has scooped a total of three awards at the 27th Sofia International Film Festival

To mark the conclusion of the competitive part of its 27th iteration, the Sofia International Film Festival handed out its awards on Saturday evening. The event took place in the capital’s National Palace of Culture, as is customary, and brought together many of the 300 international guests who attended this year’s festival. To round up the ten core days of the festival, the closing ceremony also paid tribute to film legend Geraldine Chaplin, who was awarded the Sofia Award for outstanding contribution. The prolific actress also plays a major role in the festival’s closing gala film, Luka [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jessica Woodworth
film profile], the sensuous solo debut for filmmaker Jessica Woodworth which premiered at IFFR earlier this year. In her speech, Chaplin thanked a childhood friend of her daughter’s who was Bulgarian, and stated that Luka is one of the best films ever made. 

The international jury, composed of directors Milcho Manchevski (jury president), Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Milena Kaneva, Alexandra Kotcheff, and actor Vladimir Penev (Bulgaria), awarded the most prestigious Sofia City of Film Award to Red Shoes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Mexico/Italy), Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser's debut feature which deals with the clash between the urban and the rural and most, importantly, patriarchal violence. In their statement, the jury praised the film, which is "simple, focussing on humanity… the filmmakers’ craft is original and seamless.” The film was a triple winner that night, as it also took home the FIPRESCI jury prize (members: Ladislav Volko, Slovakia, Michael Ranze, Germany, and Rossen Spassov, Bulgaria), as well as the Youth Jury Award.

The Best Balkan Film Award was given to Burning Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emin Alper
film profile] by Turkish director Emin Alper. The jury members — Kostadin Bonev (writer, director and producer), Hana Cielová (scriptwriter and festival programmer) and George Ovashvili (director, writer and producer) — gave the following rationale for their decision, pointing out the strength of the film's storytelling and its cinematic vision: “The director brings to the silver screen the real life with real problems of contemporary society not only in Turkey but also in other places. This real life is reflected in all elements of the film, including the script, the actors, or the camera work.“

A film that was awarded at CPH:DOX only a couple of days ago won the Best Documentary Award. The international jury composed of director Kate Cragg, producer Ralitsa Golemanova and festival director Ahmet Boyacioğlu awarded the moving artistic portrait Apolonia, Apolonia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lea Glob
film profile] by Lea Glob "for its emotional complexity, for its multi-faceted representation of women, for its embodiment of a fracturing Europe and identity, for its questions about art, artists and borders, and for its meditations on a life worth living and loss in all its forms.” A special mention was also given to the film Fragile Memory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Igor Ivanko
film profile] by Ukrainian filmmaker Igor Ivanko.

For the first time, the Young Audience award was given to a film of the newly established SFF Teen strand, and it went to Waters of Pastaza [+see also:
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film profile] (Portugal) by director Inês T Alves.

A total of 170 films from 53 countries were screened at the 27th Sofia International Film Festival. Repeat screenings of some titles will be available to Sofia audiences until the end of the month, and an online platform will make films available nationwide until April. The full list of awards is as follows:

Sofia City of Film Award
Red Shoes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser (Mexico/Italy)

Special Jury Award
Cloves and Carnations [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Bekir Bülbül (Turkey/Belgium)

Best Director
Vasilis Katsoupis - Inside [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vasilis Katsoupis
film profile] (Greece/Germany/Belgium/Switzerland/UK)

Special Mention
The Other Widow [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Maayan Rypp (Israel/France)
Malin Krastev in The Good Driver [+see also:
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film profile] - Tonislav Hristov (Finland/Sweden/Bulgaria)

Best Bulgarian Short Film
Trace - Asparuh Petrov (Bulgaria)

Best Balkan Film
Burning Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emin Alper
film profile] - Emin Alper (Turkey/France/Germany/Netherlands/Greece/Croatia)

Best Documentary
Apolonia, Apolonia [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Lea Glob
film profile] - Lea Glob (Denmark)

Special Mention
Fragile Memory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Igor Ivanko
film profile] - Igor Ivanko (Ukraine/Slovakia)

Best Bulgarian Feature Film
The Good Driver - Tonislav Hristov

FIPRESCI Award
Red Shoes - Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser

Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
Safe Place [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Juraj Lerotić
film profile] - Juraj Lerotić (Croatia)

Audience Award
The Art of Falling [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Orlin Milchev (Bulgaria)

Young Jury Award
Red Shoes - Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser

Youth Audience Award 
Waters of Pastaza [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Inês T Alves (Portugal)

The Sofia Award for Contribution to the Art of Film
Geraldine Chaplin, actress (USA)
Radoslav Spassov, cinematographer, director, writer, producer (Bulgaria)