The script, written by Kutmanov, is focused on the painful experiences of an old man after the robbery of his solitary village house. His efforts to get some help make him face cruel human disrespect.
Kutmanov told FNE that he was inspired by an article in a local newspaper. “But as I’ve never been interested in social realism I did not really focus on the story itself. I was mostly intrigued by the conflict between one’s dignity and the need of survival. Therefore, the core of the film, which I define as a parable, is not poverty, but the complete disintegration of human dignity,” he said
Known for his love for minimalist and slow rhythm contemplation with nearly no action, Kutmanov firstly realised his short Bread, which over a rather lengthy production process has grown into the long feature film Lament for the Silent Fool.
“Bread was not the film I wanted to have. Therefore, I went on working with friends helping me. Among them are Austrian DoP Carmen Treichl, Spanish sound engineer Jaime Sotelo and Romanian editor Andrei Lascu. I am especially grateful to the team of Film +, a Romanian alternative programme, still assisting the long and rather unusual creative road of my film,” Kutmanov said.
The film is produced by Screening Emotions with the support of the Bulgarian National Film Center and the National Culture Fund.
“The public support for the project was rather low as we applied in the section for shorts. But later we were selected by Film + and this turned out to be crucial for us. Friends from six countries were and are still helping the director. The average age of the crew members was under 30 years,” producer Poli Angelova told FNE. “I like Dimitar very much as he is a searching director who explores the feelings of his characters and digs deep into their sufferings. To me, he is one of the most promising young Bulgarian directors,” Angelova added.
Kutmanov studied at the Anglia Ruskin University and completed a Masters course in Film Directing at Screen Academy Scotland. His graduation film Ecce Home (2015) participated in over 20 international film festivals.
Production Information:
Producer:
Screening Emotions
Poli Angelova
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Credits:
Director: Dimitar Kutmanov
Scriptwriter: Dimitar Kutmanov
DoP: Carmen Treichl
Production Designer: Ivelina Mineva
Costume Designer: Alexandra Ovtchinnikova
Sound: Jaime Sotelo
Editor: Andrei Lascu
Cast: Mihail Iliykov, Rumen Traykov, Mariana Krumova, Martina Apostolova, Simeon Alexiev, Deodor Velichkov
