Written by Nikolay Georgiev himself, the script has a vague thematic similitude with the vicissitudes of a growing boy in The Little Giraffe. In Giri (a diminutive for giraffe) the main character is a grown up teenager taking part in a huge urban marathon. As long as he is running, he manages to find love and get into theatre. At the same time, in a cult bar, other types of teens are also looking for love, but through drugs.
The main parts are performed by students from the experimental Sofia based Alma Alter Theatre, which Petya Yossifova runs as deputy director and choreographer. Famous actors Elena Petrova, Borislav Chuchkov and Nikola Dodov perform most of the secondary roles.
Shooting lasted for 24 days and took place in September-October 2020.
The exteriors were mainly shot in Sofia, where the designers painted a lot of graffiti on the walls. After the shooting, it was all cleaned, except for one depicting the Little Prince. Most of the interiors were shot in the famous Hambara Bar in Sofia.
Ivan Tonev is the DoP. “In order to follow the speedy action, but also to express the psyche of the characters, the camera had to be very dynamic. The colours had to be bright, the episodes short and choppy, imitating the TikTok style”, Ivan Tonev told FNE.
ARS Digital Studio is producing with a 200,000 EUR support from the Bulgarian National Film Center. The St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University and the Alma Alter Theatre participated in-kind.
The film was first screened at the Sofia FF on 15 March 2022. It was also selected for the international competition of the 2022 Love is Folly IFF in Varna.
The theatrical distribution of the film will start on 7 October 2022.
Production Information:
Producer:
ARS Digital Studio (Bulgaria)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Credits:
Director: Petya Yossifova
Scriptwriter: Nikolay Georgiev
DoP: Ivan Tonev
Music: Ivo Dimchev, Konstantin Kuchev, Georgi Arsov
Cast: Zora Koleva, Georgi Arsov, Konstantin Kuchev, Ivo Dimchev, Kiril Hadzhiev, Marko Dzhenev, Valeriya Dimitrova, Fasika Melaku, Mariya Gancheva, Simeon Vasilev, Elena Petrova, Borislav Chouchkov, Diana Kavakliyska, Nikola Dodov, Viktoriya Koleva, Adriana Slavova, Violina Ivanova, Merlin Mehmed
