24-03-2024

FESTIVALS: Winners of 28th Sofia IFF and 21st Sofia Meetings

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    Sofia FF Awards ceremony Sofia FF Awards ceremony credit: Sofia International Film Festival

    SOFIA: Sujo (Mexico, France, USA) directеd by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez received the Sofia City Film Award in the International Competition for First and Second Films at the 28th Sofia International Film Festival.

    The 28th Sofia International Film Festival presented 170 films from 53 countries and welcomed over 300 international guests. The awards ceremony took place at the National Palace of Culture on 23 March 2024, but the festival that started on 13 March will officially wrap across Bulgaria on 31 March 2024.

    The industry segment of the festival, Sofia Meetings was held 20 – 24 March 2024. Its 21st edition showcased first, second or third feature film projects, TV series in development as well as Works in Progress.

    Sofia IFF is organised by Art Fest under the patronage of the Sofia Municipality, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union, in partnership with cultural institutes, sponsors, organisations and friends. 

    Sofia Meetings is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Bulgarian National Film Center and the Sofia Municipality.

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    Festival Winners:

    International Competition for First and Second Films :

    The Sofia City of Film Award:
    Sujo (Mexico, France, USA)
    Directеd by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez

    The Special Jury Award:
    The Capture / Captura (Romania, Bulgaria)
    Directed by Adrian Voicu
    Produced by Axel Film
    Coproduced by Contrast Films
    Supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), the Bulgarian National Film Center (BNFC)

    Best Director Award:
    Shuchi Talati for Girls Will Be Girls (India, France, USA, Norway)

    Special Mention:
    Beyond the Fog (Japan)
    Directed by Daichi Murase

    FIPRESCI Award:
    All about the Levkoviches / Lefkovicsék gyászolnak (Hungary)
    Directed by Ádám Breier
    Produced by ULab
    Coproduced by Proton Cinema
    Supported by the National Film Institute – Hungary

    Audience Award:
    Because I Love Bad Weather (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Yana Lekarska
    Produced by Invictus Ltd
    Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center 

    Young Jury Award:
    Jupiter (Germany)
    Directed by Benjamin Pfohl

    Balkan Film Competition:

    Best Balkan Film Award:
    Medium (Greece, Bulgaria)
    Directed by Christina Ioakeimidi
    Produced by Eksa Productions
    Coproduced by Red Carpet

    Special Mention:
    M (North Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, France and Luxembourg)
    Directed by Vardan Tozija, Darijan Pejovski
    Produced by Focus Pocus
    Coproduced by 4 Film, In My Country, Les Contes Modernes, Wady Media
    Supported by the North Macedonia Film Agency, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), the Kosovo Cinematography Center, SACEM, TV Telma

    Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics:
    Blaga's Lessons / Urotcite na Blaga (Bulgaria, Germany)
    Directed by Stephan Komandarev 
    Produced by Argo film
    Coproduced by 42film
    Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center

    International Documentary Film Competition:

    Best Documentary Film:
    Soundtrack to a Coup d'État (Belgium, France, the Netherlands)
    Directed by Johan Grimonprez

    Special Mentions:

    Four Daughters (France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia)
    Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania

    1489 (Armenia)
    Directed by Shoghakat Vardanyan

    Best Bulgarian Film:

    Best Bulgarian Feature Film:
    Blaga's Lessons / Urotcite na Blaga (Bulgaria, Germany)
    Directed by Stephan Komandarev

    Best Bulgarian Short Film:
    Chocolate (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Orlin Milchev

    Best Teen Film:
    Dyad (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Yana Titova
    Produced by Portokal
    Coproduced by No Blink, Sonus, Right Solutions
    Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, the National Culture Fund Bulgaria

    Sofia Meetings Awards:

    Cinelabs Romania Award:
    Barefoot Bull (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Petar Krumov
    Produced by Klas Film

    UNIQA Award:
    Sofia Meetings Аward Ceremony 2024, credit: Sofia International Film FestivalDeath Is for the Living (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Kristiyan Bozov
    Produced by Abraxas Film

    Chaos VFX Award:
    Sydney Smile Future Prefect (Greece)
    Directed by Gregoris Rentis
    Produced by BYRD

    Go – Residences Award (in partnership with Nova Gorica / Gorizia– European Capital of Culture 2025):
    In the Meantime (Serbia)
    Directed by Gordan Matic
    Produced by Re-Kreativno dud

    Young Producer Award – Yapimlab:
    Lady Sunshine (Hungary)
    Directed by Anna Korom
    Produced by Kinomoto Kft

    Producers Network (Cannes Market) Award:
    Ballerina Shoes (Slovakia)
    Directed by Teodor Kuhn
    Produced by nutprodukcia s.r.o.

    EWA BG Award:
    The Miracle Number Three (Poland)
    Directed by Grzegorz Jaroszuk
    Produced by ORKA

    ‘Story Tricks’ Story Bundle Award:
    Heartbeat (Germany, Azerbaijan, Canada)
    Directed by Sergej Waldrat
    Produced by Doghouse filmproductions

    Elbur Film Award:
    Report on the Miracles of the Earth (Portugal, Bulgaria, Angola)
    Directed by Carlos Conceição
    Produced by Terratreme, Alaz Film, Mirabilis