One of the most anticipated summer film festivals – the Sveti Vlas Film Fest – will launch its third edition from July 3 to 7, 2024, in the resort town of Sveti Vlas. The glamorous event pays tribute to the richness and diversity of Bulgarian cinema.
“German Lessons” by director Pavel Vesnakov won the award for Best Film of the Year. The award for Best Leading Actress went to Eli Skorcheva for “Blaga’s Lessons.” The film also received another award, for Best Director, awarded to Stephan Komandarev.
The jury gave the prize for Best Leading Actor to Yulian Vergov for his role in “German Lessons.” In the Best Screenplay category, Yana Lekarska won an award for the film “Because I Love Bad Weather.” The award for Cinematography went to Andrey Andreev for “The Game of Trust.”
The statuette for Best Supporting Actress was awarded to Petra Tsarnorechka for the film “Dyad.” At the same time, Best Supporting Actor went to Gerasim Georgiev-Gero for his roles in “German Lessons,” “Blaga’s Lessons,” and “The Good Driver.”
A special award was also presented by the Municipality of Burgas. Its representative, Gergana Chakarova, an expert in the Department of Culture, presented the award to Tonislav Hristov for the film “The Good Driver.”
In 2024, the jury also evaluated films in the competition for Best Short Film. The theme was “A Romantic Encounter with an Unexpected Ending”, and the requirement was that the films be shot on a mobile phone. Works by Nia Petrova, Ana Tsvetkova, and Vladimir Goranov were awarded. The prize for Best Short Film went to Vladimir Goranov.
The third edition of the Sveti Vlas Film Fest was organized by Dinevi Group with the support of the National Film Center, Burgas Municipality, Nessebar Municipality, and the Town Halls of Sveti Vlas. The jury was chaired by Associate Professor Dr. Deyan Statulov, and its members included Bashar Rahal, Nikolay Iliev, Dimitar Gochev, and Ivan Garelov. The festival selectors were Professor Dr. Nina Altiparmakova and Toni Dobrinska.
03 July 2024
21:00
OPENING CEREMONY OF SVETI VLAS FILM FEST 2024
Evening COMPETITION PROGRAM
Blaga's Lessons
Bulgaria | 2023 | 113 min.
Director: Stefan Komandarev
Screenwriter: Stefan Komandarev, Simeon Ventsislavov
Cinematographer: Veselin Hristov
Starring: Stefan Komandarev, Gerasim Georgiev – Gero, Eli Skorcheva, Stefan Denoliv, Ivaylo Hristov, Rozalia Abgaryan
Blaga is a seventy-year-old, recently widowed former teacher and a woman of strict morals. When she’s tricked by phone scammers into giving them the money she’s saved for her husband’s grave, her moral compass slowly begins to lose its bearings.
04 July 2024
DAILY INDOOR COMPETITION PROGRAM
GERMAN LESSONS
Bulgaria | 2020 | 100 min.
Director: Pavel G. Vesnakov
Screenwriter: Pavel Vesnakov
Cinematographer: Orlin Ruevski
Starring: Vasil Banov, Julian Vergov, Stanka Kalcheva, Meglena Karalambova, Stefka Yanorova, Lora Dekova, Emma Duchovnikova, Elena Telbis
Nikola works and lives in Bulgaria, but decides to go to Germany, where he can start fresh and get rid of his unpleasant past. Before the trip, he rethinks his life, in an attempt to turn that page and start all over again. The film introduces us to an anti-hero – Nikola’s character is woven of contradictions: love and violence, a desire to stay with his loved ones and a need to leave.
The Good Driver
Bulgaria | 2022 | 99 min.
Director: Tonislav Hristov
Screenwriter: Tonislav Hristov, Kaarle Aho, Konstantin Bojanov
Cinematographer: Orlin Ruevski
Starring: Malin Krastev, Gerasim Georgiev-Gero, Slava Doycheva, Alma Pjoisti, Amos Brotherus, Eero Milonov, Ioana Ilieva, Anna Bankina, Kitodar Todorov, Nikola Dodov and others.
Ivan is a Bulgarian taxi driver who lives in a seaside resort. He is saving money to return to Finland, where his wife and son are, and right the wrongs of the past. Money is not enough and Ivan is forced to show ingenuity in order to earn faster, which causes him problems. If he even makes it to the other side of Europe, is it possible to repair what was once broken?
Evening COMPETITION PROGRAM
PULSE OF THE DANCE
Bulgaria | 2023 | 97 min.
Director: Georgi Kostov
Screenwriter: Georgi Kostov, Georg Kiryakov
Operator: Emil Topuzov
Starring: Georg Kiryakov, Sara Draguleva, Martina Kondaklieva, Raina Karayaneva, Bashar Rahal, Niki Iliev, Ivaylo Zahariev, Lyubomir Kovachev
Ten-year-old Martina is a sports dance competitor. Her mother has the ambition to make her the champion of Bulgaria. For this purpose, he signed her up to train with Viktor (25 years old) – an eccentric young coach, a former champion, who is currently going through a difficult breakup with his partner. He and Martina manage to help each other and move on.
SVETI VLAS FILM FEST 2023 GALA DINNER
DRESS CODE: BLACK TIE
05 July 2024
DAILY INDOOR COMPETITION PROGRAM
Because I love bad weather
Bulgaria | 2024 | 100 min.
Director: Yana Lekarska
Screenwriter: Yana Lekarska
Cinematographer: Mladen Minev
Starring: Neda Spasova, Vladimir Mihailov, Boryana Puncheva, Eleni Dekidis, Veselin Rankov, Ivan Burnev
One rainy spring day, Irina returns to the seaside town where she spent the summer as a child. There she meets Boris, whom she has not seen for 20 years. The two set out to rediscover the past, which may change their future.
PLAGUE
Bulgaria | 2024 | 100 min.
Director: Ivan Vladimirov
Screenwriter: Boyan Biolchev
Cinematographer: Rumen Vassilev
Starring: Lyudmila Slaneva, Stanislav Peev, Lyubomir Bachvarov, Velislav Pavlov, Svezhen Mladenov, Matei Michev, Evelina Bibova
The beginning of the 19th century. Chorbaji Yurdan and his son Iono return from Hadzhilak and find the plague raging in the Bulgarian lands. The road home is littered with burning villages, bandits, chaos and fear. And Yono is in a hurry for a wedding. His fiancee Elitsa is waiting for him – brave and faithful, she sensed the danger. The villagers are starving and scared. Fear can turn into violence in seconds. The script was inspired by Yordan Yovkov’s short story “Through the Plague”.
Evening COMPETITION PROGRAM
Dyad
Bulgaria | 2023 | 89 min.
Director: Yana Titova
Screenwriter: Yana Titova
Cinematographer: Martin Balkanski
Starring: Vasil Binev, Tsvetan Alexiev, Irmena Chichikova, Stoyan Doichev, Silvia Lulcheva, Ivan Burnev, Margarita Stoykova and others.
Dida is 16 years old, lives in a small town and has a big dream – to go to her mother in America, where she will study painting. Her life is turned upside down when she realizes she only has a few hours to raise a serious amount of money for the plane ticket. Not even her best friend Iva can help, and problems at school make the task even more complicated.
VIP cocktail by the sea
“Sea Deeper“ #withGalaxyS23 Ultra
On July 8 at 7:30 p.m. we will be waiting for you at a special VIP cocktail by the seashore – “Sea Deeper” #withGalaxyS23 Ultra at Marina Dinevi Yacht Port, where you will have the opportunity to dive deep into the world of photography and capture the moment with the latest 200MP camera.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the deep blue sea through the SAMSUNG Summer Photo Corner while capturing epic shots like never before, even at night or in low light.
Share your aquatic adventures with the world and let your creativity flow with every click.
Join us for an unforgettable sea experience.
06 July 2024
DAILY INDOOR COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Trap
Bulgaria | 2023 | 95 min.
Director: Nadezhda Koseva
Screenwriter: Boyan Papazov
Cinematographer: Kiril Prodanov
Starring: Alexander Trifonov, Yanitsa Atanasova, Dan Nikolov, Mikhail Stoyanov, Kamen Kalev, Nikolai Todorov
Božeka is a Czech with a highly developed sense of self-worth, who lives alone on the banks of the Danube in harmony with nature and the animals in his small peculiar zoo. When the local oligarch, with the support of the mayor and the chief of police, starts a profitable for him, but dangerous for people, nuclear waste storage project near the city, Božeka turns out to be the only one who can and dares to oppose him.
The Game of Trust
Bulgaria | 2023 | 104 min.
Director: Martin Makariev
Screenwriter: Borislav Zahariev
Operator: Andrey Andreev
Starring: Yana Marinova, Luiza Grigorova-Makariev, Vladimir Zombori, Sofia Ivanova Laskin, Alexander Dimov, Plamen Manasiev, Hristo Petkov, Maria Kavardzhikova, Iskra Donova, Malin Krastev, Kitodar Todorov, Yana Titova
Every game has rules. You choose whether to follow them. “Trust Game” follows the personal stories of mother and daughter – Daniela and Elena. In a few decades, the times in which each of them lived their youth changed, and so did society. However, both must face the violence hidden behind the mask of good intentions. Their destinies are as different as they are inextricably intertwined, and their own freedom is at stake.
21:00
SVETI VLAS FILM FEST 2024 AWARDS AND CLOSING CEREMONY
Evening COMPETITION PROGRAM
Chalga
Bulgaria | 2023 | 100 min.
Director: Marian Valev
Screenwriter: Marian Valev
Cinematographer: Dimitar Gochev
Starring: Eleonora Ivanova, Tsvetelina Stoyanova, Lyubomir Neykov, Zhana Yakovleva, Laura Karadjova, Stefan Denolyubov, Dilyana Popova, Nikolay Sotirov, Dimitar Rachkov, Krastyo Lafazanov, Viktor Stoyanov, Elizabeth Metodieva, Stefan Mavrodiev, Viktor Kalev, Milena Markova, Nevena Bozukova , Ilian Boyd, Nikolay Nikolaev, Denislav Marinchev
A small-town girl leaves her hometown with the idea of pursuing her dreams and becoming a famous pop-folk singer. Things turn out not to be as easy as they seem and he is forced to fight for his spiritual and physical survival.