The daring biographical drama “Limonov” (2023), a co-production of Italy, France and Spain directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, has won the Cinelibri award for masterfully crafted literary adaptation in the feature film competition at the tenth edition of the festival. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by the prominent French writer Emmanuel Carrère, and the script was written by Pawel Pawlikowski, a Polish-British director and screenwriter known for acclaimed films such as “Cold War” and “Ida”.
The award ceremony took place on October 25 in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in the presence of a jury consisting of: Maria Bakalova, Christine Leunens, Ignacio Serricchio, Ann Cusack. Writer Daniel Kehlmann, who had to postpone his trip to Sofia to February 2025, also cast his vote. Bakalova, in her capacity as president of the jury, announced the winner and the reasons for the decision: “The award goes to the film “Limonov” directed by Kirill Serebrennikov for his powerful and contradictory, yet captivating character, whose extraordinary “transcontinental” fate illuminates the most vulnerable sides of contemporary societies and exposes uncomfortable truths. Adapted from the biographical novel by Emmanuel Carrère, this bold film chooses poetry as a means to tell a dizzying tale of freedom. The jury appreciates Ben Whishaw’s extremely organic and charismatic incarnation as Eduard Limonov and the impactful contemporary cinematography.” The theater and film director Kirill Srebrennikov, known for his unconventional creative approach and the scandalous accusations of the Russian authorities against him as a representative of the artistic elite, accepted the award in absentia with sincere gratitude for the honor.
The jury also awarded a special contribution award, which went to the film “The Master and Margarita” by director Michael Lockshin, a work that evokes polar feelings for understandable reasons. The award was presented “for the impressive production, design, costume design and acting, as well as for the original reading of Bulgakov’s emblematic novel, in support of the creative spirit as a resistance to repression and totalitarianism. The film’s dramaturgy adds new layers to the novel, affirming the idea of the free will of the artist, who remains uncorrupted and retains his dignity regardless of censorship and changes of state affairs”.
In the category for best documentary, the jury, represented by Rene Karabash, Prof. Bozhidar Manov and Nayo Titsin, awarded the Cinelibri 2024 award to the film “William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead“, directed by Michael Modak-Truran. Prof. Manov announced the reasons: “This is not just a biographical story about a great writer, but a film that illuminates the path of his development as a remarkable figure in American and world literature. But it does not miss his personal civic position towards some of the most important and complex problems of American society, such as racial equality and human rights. On behalf of the director, the award was accepted by Mrs. Anita Modak-Truran, producer of the film.
A special contribution award went to the moving documentary “Monument to Love” by Jacob Comforty. The jury’s reasons are more than convincing: “This emotional story about the fate of Bulgarian Jews, filtered through the personal history of the Comforty family, is distinguished by its unexpected poetics that blooms like a crocus against the backdrop of the dramatic events of the Holocaust. It captivates us with the hidden messages of random inscriptions on the streets, with the kiss of the Bulgarian teacher and her Jewish student, with the “thickening of the clouds” above the head of the main character. “Monument to Love” is a painfully important film about the past, which can be repeated. A film-warning of the danger of finding ourselves on the wrong side of the barricade again. A film-reminder that the fight against totalitarianism and fascism is not over. That the choice is again in our hands and it depends on this: whether we will choose the “monument of destruction” or build finally and once and for all the “monument of love”.
On November 3, an award ceremony for the winners of the short film competition was held at the Regional Center for Contemporary Arts “Toplotsentrala”. The film “Two” directed by Simona Evstatieva and based on the story “Yes” by Yordanka Beleva, received a diploma, statuette and a cash prize. A jury consisting of Margarita Stoykova – actress, Nikolay Iliev – director, screenwriter and producer, Kosta Karakashyan – choreographer, director and producer, selected the winning film. The event was held in partnership with TatraTea.
The project was held with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria, the National Film Center, Sofia Municipality, Plovdiv Municipality, the Culture Fund of Varna Municipality, Burgas Municipality, Veliko Tarnovo Municipality, Gabrovo Municipality and in partnership with the Regional Library “Zahariy Knyazheski”, Stara Zagora Municipality.
The festival is part of the Calendar of Cultural Events of Sofia Municipality for 2024 and is carried out with the support of numerous partners announced on the website.