Ministry of Culture DIRECTOR 7-year-old Petyo is looking Petrinel Gochev forward to growing up, count- SCREENPLAY ing the days to the start of the Gergana Zmiicharova, Petrinel Gochev school year, when on a sunny CAST morning his mother lies to Mihail Mutafov, him that his father has gone Alen Angelov, abroad. Petyo is sent to his Hristyan Manolov grandfather’s village for a “va- PRODUCERS cation by force”. There, Petyo Galina Toneva, Kiril Kirilov discovers friendship in the PRODUCTION COMPANY Gala Film person of 6-year-old Philip and the two of them face the Gang and the truth. WORKS IN PROGRESS – FEATURE FILMS FEATURE – PROGRESS IN WORKS A BULGARIAN SHIP IS SINKING... Bulgaria, 2021, 100 min DIRECTOR After finishing university, Hel- George Ovashvili en comes back to her home- SCREENPLAY land from New York. The life George Ovashvili, was following its own route Roelof Jan Minneboo CAST in her absence. Helen tries Natia Chikviladze, not only to find her place - but Dimitri Khvtisiashvili, also to find herself and find Darejan Kharshiladze, the keys that fit the locks of Lia kapanadze, the main existential questions Ana Makharadze of life. Her encounter with film PRODUCER director Gabo is the start of an George Ovashvili PRODUCTION COMPANY adventure that takes us into Wagonnet Films the minds and souls of a man and a woman. BEAUTIFUL HELEN Georgia, 2020, 100 min DIRECTOR When you are seventeen, you Valery Iordanov think you know everything; SCREENPLAY only later you realize, you Valery Iordanov didn’t and you didn’t want CAST Zahari Baharov, to know. What happens to Vladislav Stoimenov, a boy of seventeen who has Vasil Iliev, two great talents – writing Eleonora Ivanova, and fist-fighting – and has to Serafim Todorv, make his choice as to which of Meglena Karalambova, them should prevail in his life Doroteya Toleva and help him save the life of PRODUCER Borislav Chouchkov his closest friend? PRODUCTION COMPANY The Chouchkov Brothers NO CHANCE FOR STRAY DOG (CALL ME SHAKESPEARE) Bulgaria, 2020, 110 min DIRECTOR Svetla is a widow who has re- Ivaylo Hristov cently lost her job as a teacher SCREENPLAY because of school closure. Ivaylo Hristov CAST The village in which she lives Svetlana Yancheva, is close to the border of Bul- Michael Fleming, garia with Turkey and refu- Ivan Savov, Stoyan Bochev, Krasimir Dokov, gees often appear nearby, try- Miroslava Gogovska ing to reach Germany. One PRODUCER day, while hunting in a forest, Assen Vladimrov Svetla comes across a migrant PRODUCTION COMPANY from Africa. This brings about Profilm a dramatic turn in her life. She is forced to rebel against the people she has lived with as they urge the black refugee to FEAR leave the village immediately. Bulgaria-France, 2020, 102 min 17th SOFIA MEETINGS WORKS IN PROGRESS 2 DIRECTOR The film traces the life of a Kamen Kalev man - when he is eight, eight- SCREENPLAY een, and eighty-two years old. Kamen Kalev In his home village and out- CAST Ivan Nalbantov side of it, out in the heat and PRODUCER in the snow. Life seems prede- Filip Todorov, termined and monotonous, Kamen Kalev, but in spite of its apparent Celine Chapdaniel, meaninglessness, an invis- Diane Jassem ible force always seems to be PRODUCTION COMPANY there, inhabiting us and mys- Waterfront Film, Koro Films teriously pulling us forward, towards the death. WORKS IN PROGRESS – FEATURE FILMS FEATURE – PROGRESS IN WORKS FEBRUARY Bulgaria-France, 2020, 125 min DIRECTOR Camping by the sea. Ivo, the Dragomir Sholev concessioner of the beach, re- SCREENPLAY fuses to bury the corpse of yet Dragomir Sholev, another dead dolphin that the Emanuela Dimitrova, Georgi Merdzhanov sea has brought, beause it has CAST holes, as if from bullets. All in- Deyan Donkov, habitants of the camping get Suzy Radichkova involved, in one way or anoth- PRODUCERS er, in the war that breaks out Rossitsa Valkanova, with the institutions, which Ada Solomon can’t or don’t want to handle PRODUCTION COMPANIES KLAS Film, Hi Film the case. Ivo has to bury the Productions dolphin in the end. FISHBONE Bulgaria/Romania, 2020, 111 min DIRECTOR Nicola, a former sinner is leav- Pavel G. Vesnakov ing his homeland, but the SCREENPLAY separation with his family Pavel G. Vesnakov forces him to ask questions CAST Julian Vergov, Vasil Banov, about his lost identity. Can he Elena Telbis, Gerasim cut off his roots or the connec- Georgiev-Gero, Stefka tion is unbreakable. Yanorova PRODUCERS Monica Balcheva, Orlin Ruevski, Sebastian Weyland PRODUCTION COMPANY Moviemento, Heimathafen Film & Media PRODUCTION COMPANY Moviemento GERMAN LESSONS Bulgaria-Germany, 2020, 100 min DIRECTOR Johnny helps Cranky escape Konstantin Burov from prison but after that he SCREENPLAY haunts him forever. Cranky Marin Damianov falls in love with Niya but CAST Deyan Georgiev, Johnny hates love. To get rid Georgi Kermenski, of Johnny, you have to either Hristiana Stoimenova, die or kill him. Todor Tanchev, Petia Silianova PRODUCER Dobromir Chochov PRODUCTION COMPANY Doli Media Studio with the support of Bulgarian National Film Center GOOD-BYE, JOHNNY Bulgaria, 2020, 115 min 17th SOFIA MEETINGS WORKS IN PROGRESS 3 DIRECTOR Vassil (41) is a documen- Svetoslav Draganov tary film director, who has SCREENPLAY not achieved the success he Svetoslav Draganov, dreams of. He puts all his en- Bogomil Dimitrov ergy filming the broken rela- and Nevena Borisova tionship between a monk and CAST his mother. Meanwhile Vassil’s Hristo Petkov, Atanas Bachorski, wife and their 14-year-old Detelin Benchev, Miroslava daughter take second place in Gogovska, Yana Draganova his life. The director learns that PRODUCER the monk is in psychiatry, while Svetoslav Draganov and his mother has to undergo a Katya Trichkova (Bulgaria), cancer surgery. To bring them Calin Peter Netzer together to forgive each other and Oana Iancu (Romania) is Vassil’s long awaited finale for PRODUCTION COMPANIES WORKS IN PROGRESS – FEATURE FILMS FEATURE – PROGRESS IN WORKS his film. He faces a dilemma - to Cineaste Maudit Production shot “life as it is” or to show hu- (Bulgaria), Parada film HUMBLE man compassion and empathy. (Romania) Bulgaria, Romania, 2020, 112 min DIRECTOR This is a story of two sixteen- Alexander Hant year-old Romeo and Juliet Al- SCREENPLAY exandra Makarova and Danila Vladislav Malakhov, Krasnov who are fighting for Alexander Hant CAST their love and their right to be Evgenia Vinogradova, themselves. Igor Ivanov PRODUCER In order to be together, they Maxim Dobromyslov must escape from their homes, PRODUCTION COMPANY go into hiding and lead a dou- IP Maxim Dobromyslov ble life. Trying to protect their freedom of choice and their individuality, they cross the line and turn into Bonnie and Clyde on the run trying to avenge the world that has no IN LIMBO room for them. Russia, 2020, 110 min DIRECTOR Boris Robič is, as we say, an Darko Sinko ordinary man. But one night, WRITER he is brutally attacked and it is Darko Sinko not quite clear by whom. The CAST Radoš Bolčina, investigation shows he has no Dejan Spasić, enemies – Boris seems to be a Mirel Knez highly unlikely murder target. PRODUCERS When the police suspend the Vlado Bulajić, investigation, Boris begins Lija Pogačnik investigating himself. In his PRODUCTION COMPANY search for the potential cul- December prits unfolds a tragicomedy of a man that discovers he can- not trust anyone, not even the people closest to him. INVENTORY Slovenia, 2020, 95 min DIRECTOR Waiting for Godot meets The Andrey M Paounov Shining in this story of two SCREENPLAY men and a bird, trapped in a Alex Barrett snowstorm in the middle of and Andrey M Paounov CAST nowhere, who try to solve a Samuel Finzi, mystery, while is slowly de- Iossif Sarchadzhiev, vours them. Zachary Baharov, Leonid Yovchev Inspired by the eponymous PRODUCER play by Yordan Radichkov, Vanya Rainova and reinterpreted for world PRODUCTION COMPANY Portokal audiences by Andrey Paou- nov, it is a bold fiction debut of a director who has made a name by exploring the exis- tential absurdities of the post- JANUARY socialist state in the language Bulgaria-Portugal-Luxembourg, 2020, 107 min of cinema. 17th SOFIA MEETINGS WORKS IN PROGRESS 4 DIRECTOR A decrepit old man living in Dimitar Kutmanov an abandoned village in the SCREENPLAY mountain is forced to abandon Dimitar Kutmanov his solitary life. The world that CAST Mihail Iliykov, he enters opens up to him Rumen Traykov, in a vision of human cruelty, Mariana Krumova, pain and compassion. Brought Martina Apostolova, to the limits of physical and Simeon Aleksiev moral resistance, the old man PRODUCER is about to lose the last thing Poli Angelova that he is left with – his human PRODUCTION COMPANY Screening Emotions dignity. LAMENT FOR THE SILENT FOOL Bulgaria, 2020, 73 min WORKS IN PROGRESS – FEATURE FILMS FEATURE – PROGRESS IN WORKS DIRECTOR A girl is to be saved from Ivaylo Penchev suicide by the power of love SCREENPLAY but the whole process will Bozhan Petrov, be accompanied by a series Ivaylo Penchev, of comical events. When the Vesel Tsankov tabloids fabricate a false sen- CAST sational news that a 70-year Vasil Banov, Maria Bakalova, Filip Avramov, Malin Krastev, old writer is about to marry a Anton Radichev, 23-year old girl. There’s no way Yana Marinova, that a priest appear with his Stefan Denolubov, “re-educated” Sunday-school Gerasim Georgiev-Gero mates from prison, a former PRODUCER naval captain in the company Stoyan Stoyanov of crazy elders and hostile sis- PRODUCTION COMPANY LAST CALL ters keen for inheritance. Urban Media Bulgaria, 2020, 115min DIRECTOR Ducu is a a 45-year-old Roma- Valentin Hotea nian writer facing a midlife cri- SCREENPLAY sis. He leaves Bucharest to be Ileana Muntean, part of a creative residence in Valentin Hotea Berlin and to rebuild his life.