10-10-2024

Awards of 5th Sofia DocuMENTAL

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    Awards of 5th Sofia DocuMENTAL credit: Sofia DocuMENTAL

    SOFIA: Czech director Klára Tasovská won the Best Female Director Award for her film I'm Not Everything I Want to Be at the 5th Sofia DocuMENTAL, held 29 September - 6 October 2024 in Sofia. Sofia DocuMental is an international festival for artistic documentary cinema with a focus on human rights and pressing social issues.

    For the third consecutive year, the festival had an industry platform called Balkan Documentary Market. The highlights were the two pitching forums of the programmes BDC Discoveries and Balkan Watchers, dedicated to investigative documentary films and podcasts.

    BDC Discoveries is focused on documentary projects in development that have international potential and a cross-media approach. It targets filmmakers from the Balkan region or projects that are thematically connected to the Balkans.

    Balkan Watchers provides financial support to projects for films and podcasts following an intensive training programme consisting of three modules. The programme featured 10 films and 10 podcasts, and after a public pitching session in Sofia, three films received financial support of 25,000 EUR, while three podcasts received 5,000 EUR each.

    The festival is organised by the Balkan Documentary Center with the support of the Bulgarian National Film Center, Sofia Municipality, German Films, Goethe-Institut Bulgaria, Czech Centre Sofia,Czech Еmbassy in Bulgaria, Greece Embassy in Bulgaria, Ambassade de France en Bulgarie, Institute Français Sofia, Polish Institute in Sofia, Institute Cervantes Sofia, Institute Liste, Ukrainian Embassy in Bulgaria, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bulgaria, National Geographic, and Bulgarian Fund for Women.

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    Competition Programme:

    credit: Sofia DocuMENTALBest Female Director Award:
    I'm Not Everything I Want to Be (Czech Republic)
    Directed by Klára Tasovská
    Produced by Somatic Films

    Special Mention:
    Home Sweet Home (Germany)
    Directed by Annika Mayer

    Audience Award:
    Johatsu– Into Thin Air (Japan, Germany)
    Directed by Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori

    Balkan Documentary Center Discoveries:

    Best Pitch Award:
    Death Café (Bulgaria)
    Directed by Mariana Sabeva
    Produced by Portokal

    Lightdox Award:
    Step into the Comfort Zone (Ukraine)
    Directed by Yuriy Dvizhon

    Special Award by Raina Consultancy:
    Childless (Bulgaria, Romania)
    Directed by Maria Stanisheva, Ruxandra Gubernat
    Produced by Аnimadox

    Balkan Watchers: Awards for Investigative Film Projects:

    Lost and Found: Uncovering Truth (Romania)
    Directed by Laurentiu Garofeanu
    Produced by Mekanism Media

    The Forest Glade (Ukraine)
    Directed by Oksana Savoskina

    Wave (Georgia)
    Directed by Mariam Chachia
    Produced by Opyo Doc

    Balkan Watchers: Awards for Investigative Podcasts Projects:

    Taxi, Taxi (Georgia)
    Created by Vladic Ravich

    Kaya’s Pursuit (Cambodia)
    Created by Marta Kasztelan

    Alex’s New Job (Romania)
    Created by Alex Lungu

    Published in Bulgaria

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