27/03/2024 - The annual event came to a close on Saturday, rewarding films by directors both new and well-known, including Adi Voicu, who scooped the Special Jury Award for The Capture

The 28th Sofia International Film Festival announced its winning films on Saturday evening, during a ceremony at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture ahead of the Bulgarian premiere of the festival’s closing film, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. As usual, the Sofia Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema bookended ten competitive days, beginning with the statuettes handed to German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta, and artist and set designer Georgi Todorov-Zhozi more than a week ago, and now Bulgarian film and theatre actress Tsvetana Maneva.

This year’s international jury, composed of Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu (jury president), Bulgarian filmmaker Zornitsa Sophia, former EFM president Dennis Ruh, actor Dimitar Marinov and writer-director Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia), picked Sujo [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Mexico/USA/France) as their winner. The buzzy Sundance winner, which triumphed in Sofia’s international competition, was directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez. The Special Jury Prize was given to The Capture (Romania/Bulgaria) by Romanian director Adi Voicu, while the Award for Best Director went to Shuchi Talati for Girls Will Be Girls [+see also:
film review
film profile] (India/France/USA/Norway). The Japanese slow-burner Beyond the Fog by Daichi Murase got a Special Mention, and Orlin Milchev’s Chocolate was crowned best Bulgarian Short, trouncing the competition.

Christina Ioakemidi’s Medium [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christina Ioakeimidi
film profile] (Greece/Bulgaria) won over the Balkan jury, overseen by jury president Hanna Slak, scholar Dina Iordanova and artistic director of the European Film Festival Alberto La Monica, while M (North Macedonia/Croatia/France/Kosovo/Luxembourg) by Vardan Tozia was honoured with a Special Mention. The FIPRESCI jury (members: Philip Bergson, UK; Stojan Sinadinov, North Macedonia; and Olga Markova, Bulgaria) chose to reward the Hungarian dramedy All About the Levkoviches by Ádám Breier. As for the Best Documentary Award, a jury composed of filmmakers Vitaly Mansky (president), Maria Averina and Darko Lungulov favoured Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat [+see also:
film review
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile] (Belgium/France/Netherlands) as the big winner, giving out two Special Mentions as well: to Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated Four Daughters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] and to the IDFA-winning 1489 [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Armenia) by Shoghakat Vardanyan.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Sofia City of Film Award
Sujo [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez (Mexico/USA/France)

Special Jury Award
The Capture - Adi Voicu (Romania/Bulgaria)

Best Director
Shuchi Talati - Girls Will Be Girls [+see also:
film review
film profile] (India/France/USA/Norway)

Special Mention
Beyond the Fog - Daichi Murase (Japan)

Best Bulgarian Short Film
Chocolate - Orlin Milchev (Bulgaria)

Best Balkan Film
Medium [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christina Ioakeimidi
film profile] - Christina Ioakemidi (Greece/Bulgaria)
Special Mention
M - Vardan Tozia (North Macedonia/Croatia/France/Kosovo/Luxembourg)

Best Documentary
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat [+see also:
film review
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile] - Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/France/Netherlands)
Special Mentions
1489 [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Shoghakat Vardanyan (Armenia)
Four Daughters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] - Kaouther Ben Hania (France/Germany/Tunisia/Saudi Arabia)

Best Bulgarian Feature Film
Blaga’s Lessons [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] - Stefan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany)

FIPRESCI Award
All About the Levkoviches - Ádám Breier (Hungary)

Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
Blaga’s Lessons - Stefan Komandarev

Audience Award
Why I Love Bad Weather - Yana Lekarska (Bulgaria)

Young Jury Award
Jupiter [+see also:
film review
interview: Benjamin Pfohl
film profile] - Benjamin Pfohl (Germany)

Youth Audience Award
Dyad [+see also:
film review
interview: Yana Titova
film profile] - Yana Titova (Bulgaria)

Sofia Awards for Contribution to the Art of Film
Tsvetana Maneva, actress
Margarethe von Trotta, director and actress
Georgi Todorov-Zhozi, set designer