Before the End, a sensitive observation of the last days of a village doomed to disappear due to the impending construction of coal mines, was described by the national jury as “a masterful artistic suggestion of a looming apocalypse”. Santiago, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, was defined as “a truthful emotional narrative with a bright graphic imagery”.
The two Special Jury awards went to Zdravko Dragnev’s and Tzvetan Dragnev’s Passengers, a group portrait of dreaming of a trip to Norway by people living in a poor village by the Danube, and to Sotir Gelev’s Phantom, a highly stylised painted tale about the waste of one's own life. Dolya Gavanski’s international success Women’s Day brought her the best documentary debut award, while Iliya Shekerdzhiev received the best animation debut award for Bolt.
Adela Peeva’s courageous Silence with Dignity, dedicated to Irina Aktasheva and Hristo Piskov, the famous filmmaking couple whose films were banned during communism, won the prize of the Bulgarian Critics Guild and the Bulgarian National Film Archive.
Five more films were distinguished with special mentions.
Golden Rhyton Award Winners:
Best Documentary Film Golden Rhyton
Before the End (Bulgaria)
Directed by Eldora Traykova
Produced by ProFilm – Assen Vladimirov
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Best Animated Film Golden Rhyton
Santiago (Bulgaria)
Directed by Andrey Koulev
Produced by Koulev Film Production
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Special Jury Award for Documentary
Passengers (Bulgaria)
Directed by Zdravko Dragnev, Tzvetan Dragnev
Produced by Gala Film
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Special Jury Award for Animated Film
Phantom (Bulgaria)
Directed by Sotir Gelev
Produced by Four Hands Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Best Documentary Director
Eldora Traykova for Before the End
Produced by ProFilm – Assen Vladimirov
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Best Animated Film Director Award
Brainstorming (Bulgaria)
Directed by Vladimir Shomov
Produced by ART 47 Ltd – Mariyana Pavlova
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Best Documentary Debut
Dolya Gavanski for Women’s Day (UK, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria)
Produced by Thea Films / Cultural Solidarity Media (UK), Elemag Pictures (Germany), MDR (Germany), Agitprop (Bulgaria)
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Best Animated Film Debut Award
Bolt (Bulgaria)
Directed by Iliya Shekerdzhiev
Produced by Attract – Rumen Barosov
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Plovdiv Municipality Award
Lucifer (Bulgaria)
Directed by Maria Nikolova
Produced by Four Hands Studio
Supported by Culture Programme of Sofia Municipality
Honourable Mention for a Documentary Portrait
Partsalev (Bulgaria)
Directed byValentina Fidanova-Kolarova
Produced by Korund-X
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Special Mention - Documentary Films Competition
The White Eagles (Bulgaria)
Directed by Vladimir Shterianov
Produced by Doli Media Studio – Dobromir Chochov
Special Mention - Documentary Films Competition
Dorina (Bulgaria)
Directed by Atanas Kiryakov
Produced by Ars Digital Studio – Ivan Tonev
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Special Mention - Animated Films Competition
Marmalade (Bulgaria)
Directed by Radostina Neykova
Produced by Korund X
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
Special Mention - Animated Films Competition
The Mud Man (Bulgaria)
Directed by Plamen Nikolov
Produced by N Film Productios
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
The Award of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers
Against the Course of Time (Bulgaria)
Directed by Dimitar Sardzhev
Produced by Screening Emotions
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
The Critics Guild Award Documentary Films Competition
Silence With Dignity (Bulgaria)
Directed by Adela Peeva
Produced by Adela Media
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Culture Programme of Sofia Municipality
The Critics Guild Award Animated Films Competition
Phantom (Bulgaria)
Directed by Sotir Gelev
Produced by Four Hands Studio
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
The Bulgarian National Film Archive Award
Silence With Dignity (Bulgaria)
Directed by Adela Peeva
Produced by Adela Media
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Culture Programme of Sofia Municipality
Academica 21 Association Award
We Loved Them So Much (Bulgaria)
Directed by Ivan Ivanov
Produced by Magic Shop – Georgi Nikolov
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center
