The story follows Zvezda, her ambition as an artist and the sacrifices she must make to pursue her dreams. She manages to arrange her first solo exhibition in a renowned Sofia gallery, but the planned opening triumph is postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown. In a radical act, Zvezda decides to isolate herself in the gallery as a living sculpture to be observed through the windows and online. Thus, she is risking not only herself, but also her mother's health.
“Zvеzda Abramovich explores themes of ambition, isolation and the delicate balance between artistic dreams and the responsibility for the family. The film is shot ascetically and mostly in wide shots to show Zvezda's loneliness in the gallery. The wide lens will be especially visible and emphasised by the moment the heroine emerges into the emptied and frozen world of her prison. The film uses both objective and subjective camera perspectives. In this way, we not only enter the world and emotions of the heroine, but also feel it physically”, Kamen Stoyanov told FNE.
The cast includes Elena Zamyarkova, Irmena Chichikova, Mariana Krumova and Ivo Dimchev.
The film is a 100% Bulgarian production, produced by Zornitsa Sophia through MQ PICTURES (Bulgaria) in coproduction with Magicshop and Doli Media Studio. The Bulgarian National Film Center (BNFC) supported the project with a grant of 125,000 EUR in the Micro-financing category. The total budget is 175,286 EUR.
“I started as a visual artist before switching to filmmaking and the drive of the heroine to exhibit overcoming extreme obstacles feels familiar. But my main reason to support the project is that it was developed during two of the scriptwriting workshops that I lead. I started teaching six years ago, conducting intensive workshops for writers, directors and actors. In the first years I faced the fact that there is a gap between the education of the motivated young filmmakers and their realisation. So, naturally the last couple of years I started producing some of my former students. I am so proud and happy that eight projects have already won subsidies from BNFC, including nine of my scriptwriting students in different collaborations. Zvezda Abramovich is the first film of my student we've managed to shoot”, Zornitsa Sophia told FNЕ
The film was shot for 10 days in February 2024 and the postproduction will be completed in June 2025.
MQ PICTURES is actively searching for in-kind help for the sound postproduction and currently looking for sales agents and festival programmers.
Recently, Zvezda Abramovich was selected for Sofia Meetings (20 – 24 March 2024) within the 28th Sofia International Film Festival.
Production Information:
Producer:
MQ PICTURES (Bulgaria)
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Zornitsa Sophia: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coproducers:
Magicshop (Bulgaria)
Doli Media Studio (Bulgaria)
Credits:
Director: Kamen Stoyanov
Scriptwriter: Kamen Stoyanov
DoP: Rosen Daskalov
Editor: Matin Savov
Set designer: Kalina Chelebieva
Cast: Elena Zamyarkova, Irmena Chichikova, Mariana Krumova, Ivo Dimchev
