The 29th International Sofia Film Fest 2025 will offer movie lovers exciting premieres and awards for the best film works. The program will feature both new Bulgarian films and significant international titles competing for prestigious awards. If you plan to attend the festival, you can choose from a variety of rental apartments offering comfortable and affordable accommodation in the city center. From luxury apartments to budget-friendly options, you will find the perfect choice for your stay.
Competition Program of the 29th Sofia International Film Festival 2025
* For the 23rd consecutive year, the grand prize in the competition for first or second feature films "Sofia - City of Cinema," sponsored by Sofia Municipality, will be awarded. The winner will be chosen by an international jury consisting of actress Yana Särinen (Finland), directors Pia Marais (South Africa), Fait Helmer (Germany), and Andrey Paunov (Bulgaria). The jury will be chaired by French director Patricia Mazuy. The program includes 12 films, with 3 of them being Bulgarian for the first time:
• Windless (Безветрие) - Director: Pavel Vesnakov, Bulgaria-Italy
• Eternity Package (Пакет Вечност) - Director: Magdalena Ilieva, Bulgaria-Italy
• Flesh (Плът) - Director: Dimitar Stoyanovich, Bulgaria
• Winter in Sokcho (Зима в Сокчо) - Director: Koya Kamura, France-Korea
• On the Edge (На ръба) - Directors: Sophie Muezel and Geren van de Worst, Belgium
• Nobody Wants to Shoot a Woman (Никой не иска да убие жена) - Director: Kerry Ann Enright, USA
• Cat's Cry (Котешки плач) - Director: Sanja Zivkovic, Serbia-Canada-Croatia
• Honeymoon (Меден месец) - Director: Zhanna Ozirna, Ukraine
• Hallway to Nowhere (Не съм такава) - Director: Zvonimir Munivrana, Croatia
• Under the Grey Sky (Под сивото небе) - Director: Mara Tomkovich, Poland
• Die Like a Man (Умри като мъж) - Director: Eric Nazarian, USA
• Rock Bottom - Director: Maria Trenor, Spain-Poland
* In the Balkan competition, 12 of the most successful films from the region will be featured:
• The Erl-King (Автопортрет) - Director: Goran Radovanovic, Serbia-Bulgaria
• iDEA (Идея) - Director: Tayfun Pirselimoglu, Turkey-Romania-France
• Waterdrop (Капка вода) - Director: Robert Budina, Albania-Italy-Romania
• Luna Park (Лунапарк) - Director: Florenc Papas, Albania-Italy-Croatia-Greece-Kosovo
• The Tower of Strength (Крепост на силата) - Director: Nikola Vukcevic, Montenegro-Serbia-Croatia-Germany
• The Flying Meatball Maker (Летящият кюфтеджия) - Director: Rezan Yeshilbash, Turkey-Bulgaria-Germany
• Mother Mara (Майка Мара) - Director: Mirjana Karanovic, Serbia-Slovenia-Switzerland-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro-Luxembourg
• Traffic (Трафик) - Director: Teodora Mihai, Romania-Belgium-Netherlands
• Triumph (Триумф) - Directors: Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bulgaria-Greece
• Giannis in the Cities (Янис в градовете) - Director: Eleni Alexandraki, Greece
• Wishbone (Пожелай си нещо) - Director: Penny Panayotopoulou, Greece-France-Germany-Cyprus
• And the Rest Will Follow (Почакай да чуеш моята) - Director: Pelin Esmer, Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania
* In the competition for Bulgarian short films, 12 films, selected by a special jury (Konstantin Bozhakov, Radostina Neykova, and Orlin Milchev - winner of the 2024 award), will be presented:
• Chapter 6 (Глава 6) - Director: Ivaylo Minov, 20 min
• The Weed's Gardener (Градинарят на бурените) - Director: Asya Kovanova, 12 min
• Dear You (До теб) - Director: Tanya Bozhinova, 8 min
• Echo (Ехо) - Director: Angel Radev, 29 min
• Nicole (Никол) - Director: Elena Toncheva, 23 min
• Posterity (Потомство) - Director: Emil Alexandrov, 20 min
• The Spiral Between Sound and Silence (Спиралата между звука и тишината) - Director: Kristina Georgieva, 20 min
• Silt (Тиня) - Director: Katya Simeonova, 23 min
• What Stays After (Това, което остава) - Director: Dimitris Georgiev, 20 min
• Dark Room (Тъмна стая) - Director: Yulian Rachev, 11 min
• Hawaii (Хавай) - Director: Radoslav Kamburov, 13 min
• Metamorphosis - Directors: Tomazo Mazarini and Veselin Nedelchev, 20 min, Bulgaria-Italy
The award is provided by Dolly Media Studio for the 6th consecutive year. The prize is worth 9,500 euros (1,500 euros in cash and 8,000 euros in post-production services).
* The documentary competition includes impressive titles with premieres in Berlin, Amsterdam, Toronto, Sundance, Thessaloniki, and other film festivals:
• GEN_ (Ген_) - Director: Gianluca Matarrese, Italy-France-Switzerland
• The Children of Popodia (Децата на Поподия) - Director: Sofia Babluani, France-Georgia
• Yalla, Baba! (Ела с мен, татко) - Director: Andji Obeid, Lebanon-Netherlands-Belgium
• Moria Six (Лагерът Мория) - Director: Jennifer Malman, Germany
• Leo Records: Strictly for Our Friends (Лео Рекърдс: Само за приятелите) - Director: Ioana Grigore, Romania
• Bad Coaches (Лоши учители) - Director: Roberto Oraci, Italy
• From Ground Zero (От кота нула) - Producers: Rashid Masharawi, Laura Nikolov, Palestine-France-Qatar-Jordan
• Paul (Пол) - Director: Denis Cote, Canada
• Dear Beautiful Beloved (Скъпи прекрасни влюбени) - Director: Yuri Rechinski, Austria
• Silent Observers (Тихи наблюдатели) - Director: Elitsa Petkova, Bulgaria-Germany
• Frida (Фрида Кало) - Director: Carla Gutierrez, USA-Mexico
• The Man with a Thousand Faces (Човекът с хилядата лица) - Director: Sonia Kronlund, France-Poland
* For the 3rd consecutive year, the festival will feature a competition for teen films:
• Kyuka: Before Summer's End (Ваканция в края на лятото) - Director: Kostis Charamoutanis, Greece-North Macedonia
• Yasmeen's Element (Елементът на Ясмийн) - Director: Aman Abasi, USA-Pakistan-Portugal
• The Story of Frank and Nina (Историята на Франк и Нина) - Director: Paola Radni, Italy-Switzerland
• Little Trouble Girls (Какво става, момичета?) - Director: Urška Jukić, Slovenia-Italy-Croatia-Serbia
• Panopticon (Паноптикум) - Director: Georgiy Sikharulidze, Georgia-France-Italy-Romania
• Family Therapy (Семейна терапия) - Director: Sonja Prosenč, Slovenia-Italy-Croatia-Norway-Serbia
• Toxic (Токсично) - Director: Saule Bliuvaite, Lithuania
* The standard ticket price is 14 BGN (16 BGN for Hall 1 at the National Palace of Culture), with discounts available for students, pensioners, and people with disabilities.
For detailed information, visit the festival's website at www.siff.bg or refer to the printed editions of the program.
For those visiting Sofia and looking to enjoy comfort during their stay, Sofia Apartments offers excellent accommodation options. Whether you’re seeking cozy studio apartments for a short stay or more spacious one-bedroom apartments for a family vacation, we have the perfect solutions for you. Our apartments are ideal for film enthusiasts who want to be close to the cultural life of the capital, as well as for those in search of convenience and tranquility. Choose accommodation in Sofia that combines comfort, luxury, and affordable prices, and immerse yourself in the magic of cinema with exceptional comfort.
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