At the recently concluded Golden Rose Film Festival, the international jury’s justification for handing the Best Film Award to Zornitsa Sophia’s Mother [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Zornitsa Sophia
scheda film] emphasised the “touching and balanced portrayal of the complexities and challenges of motherhood, and the foregrounding of the ever-present issues of global inequalities”. Sophia has thus triumphed at the gathering for the second time, after her feature debut, Mila from Mars, shared the top prize with Stanimir Trifonov’s Burning Out in 2004.

In fact, three more awards went to Mother: for Best Cinematography, handed to Krum Rodriguez for his “quiet presence and complicity in creating a moving cinematic image”; for Best Actress, well-deserved by Daria Simeonova, who demonstrated “the ability to recreate an imposing, yet gentle, presence, which affects different perceptions of the audience”; and a Special Mention for the “open hearts and the boundless trust of the children from the Shiroka Luka village in Bulgaria and the ghetto of Kibera in Kenya”.

Another film that reaped plenty of awards was Valeri Yordanov’s sophomore feature, Shakespeare Like a Street Dog [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], which took home the gongs for Best Directing, owing to the “author’s ability to create a full-blooded world with its own moral laws”; for Best Script, “combining roughness and tenderness”, according to the jury; and for Best Actor, given to the “exceptional acting tandem with a masterfully presented sense of humour, Vladislav Stoimenov and Vasil Iliev”. The film also received the City of Varna Award and the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers’ Award.

The Special Jury Award went to Ivan Pavlov’s Spring Equinox, with the jurors noting “the outstanding contribution of the screenwriter, who inspired the creative team to elaborate a quiet, beautiful, funny and touching film”, while Antonia Milcheva’s Happy New Year was named Best Short Film for the “delicate development of the theme of loneliness and the search for closeness in the modern world, achieved through sparing direction, the controlled rhythm of the action and convincing acting”.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Feature Film
Mother [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Zornitsa Sophia
scheda film] – Zornitsa Sophia (Bulgaria/Germany/Croatia)

Special Jury Award
Spring Equinox – Ivan Pavlov (Bulgaria/Portugal)

The City of Varna Award
Shakespeare Like a Street Dog [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Valeri Yordanov (Bulgaria)

Audience Award
The Tesla Case – Andrey Hadjivasilev (Bulgaria)

Best Director
Valeri Yordanov – Shakespeare Like a Street Dog

Best Screenplay
Valeri Yordanov – Shakespeare Like a Street Dog

Best Cinematographer
Krum Rodriguez – Mother

Best Actress
Daria Simeonova – Mother

Best Actor
Vladislav Stoimenov and Vasil Iliev – Shakespeare Like a Street Dog

Best First Feature
The Art of Falling [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] – Orlin Milchev (Bulgaria)

Special Mentions
The children from Shiroka Luka and the Kibera ghetto in Kenya – Mother
Svetlana Yancheva – Spring Equinox

Best Short Film
Happy New Year – Antonia Milcheva (Bulgaria)

Special Mentions for Short Film
For directing: 1999 – Aleksandar Milushev (Bulgaria)
For cinematography: Rootless – Joanna Hadjiivancheva (Bulgaria)

Bulgarian Film Critics’ Guild Award for Best Feature Film
Spring Equinox – Ivan Pavlov

Bulgarian Film Critics’ Guild Award for Best Short Film
Vox Populi – Tyanita Gancheva (Bulgaria)

Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers’ Award
Shakespeare Like a Street Dog – Valeri Yordanov