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SOFIA 2020 Awards

Svetla Tsotsorkova’s Sister wins the Sofia City of Film Grand Prix

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- Films from Belgium, Hungary and Romania were also among the winners at the Bulgarian gathering

Svetla Tsotsorkova’s Sister wins the Sofia City of Film Grand Prix
Director Svetla Tsotsorkova receiving the Sofia Grand Prix for Sister

After being postponed indefinitely only days before it was supposed to kick off in March, Bulgaria’s biggest film event, the Sofia International Film Festival, came back at the end of June with a summer edition (see the news). The event ended yesterday with an outdoor gala, where Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Svetla Tsotsorkova
film profile
]
(Bulgaria/Qatar), the second feature by Bulgarian director Svetla Tsotsorkova, received the festival’s top prize, the Sofia City of Film Grand Prix.

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The jury, led by British director Peter Webber and consisting of American producer Jim Stark, Bulgarian actress Irmena Chichkova and Mexican producer Nicolás Celis, handed the Special Jury Award to Nathalie Biancheri’s Nocturnal [+see also:
film review
interview: Nathalie Biancheri
film profile
]
(UK).

The summer edition of the festival presented a total of 111 films from 48 countries. Fifty-five titles were screened in one indoor venue and several open-air venues over the course of ten days, while as many as 88 movies in the selection were made available online for any viewer on Bulgarian soil.

The festival will be back with an autumn edition, the dates of which will be announced soon, and 80 new titles are being prepared to be screened then. Other, smaller editions will be organised for several provincial towns, such as Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.

Here is the complete list of award winners at the Sofia International Film Festival:

Sofia City of Film Grand Prix
Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Svetla Tsotsorkova
film profile
]
– Svetla Tsotsorkova (Bulgaria/Qatar)

Special Jury Award
Nocturnal [+see also:
film review
interview: Nathalie Biancheri
film profile
]
- Natalie Biancheri (UK)

Best Director
Eva Cools - Cleo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Belgium)

Special Mention for Best Screenplay
Massoud Bakhshi - Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Massoud Bakhshi
film profile
]
(Iran/France/Germany/Switzerland/Luxembourg/Lebanon)

Special Mention for Best Production Design
László Rajk - Those Who Remained [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(Hungary)

Best Documentary
The Cave [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Feras Fayyad (Syria/Denmark/Germany/USA/Qatar)
Special Mention
Collective [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Alexander Nanau (Romania/Luxembourg)

Best Balkan Film
A Tale of Three Sisters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emin Alper
interview: Emin Alper
film profile
]
- Emin Alper (Turkey/Germany/Netherlands/Greece)
Special Mention
Stitches [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miroslav Terzić
film profile
]
- Miroslav Terzic (Serbia)

Best Bulgarian Feature
Cat in the Wall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
film profile
]
- Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova (Bulgaria/UK/France)

FIPRESCI Award
Those Who Remained - Barnabás Tóth

Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Labina Mitevska
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile
]
- Teona Strugar Mitevska (North Macedonia/Belgium/Croatia/Slovenia/France)

Best Bulgarian Short
Nina - Hristo Simeonov (Bulgaria)

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