To mark the conclusion of the competitive part of its 27th iteration, the Sofia International Film Festival handed out its awards on Saturday evening. The event took place in the capital’s National Palace of Culture, as is customary, and brought together many of the 300 international guests who attended this year’s festival. To round up the ten core days of the festival, the closing ceremony also paid tribute to film legend Geraldine Chaplin, who was awarded the Sofia Award for outstanding contribution. The prolific actress also plays a major role in the festival’s closing gala film, Luka [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jessica Woodworth
scheda film], the sensuous solo debut for filmmaker Jessica Woodworth which premiered at IFFR earlier this year. In her speech, Chaplin thanked a childhood friend of her daughter’s who was Bulgarian, and stated that Luka is one of the best films ever made. 

The international jury, composed of directors Milcho Manchevski (jury president), Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Milena Kaneva, Alexandra Kotcheff, and actor Vladimir Penev (Bulgaria), awarded the most prestigious Sofia City of Film Award to Red Shoes [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Mexico/Italy), Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser's debut feature which deals with the clash between the urban and the rural and most, importantly, patriarchal violence. In their statement, the jury praised the film, which is "simple, focussing on humanity… the filmmakers’ craft is original and seamless.” The film was a triple winner that night, as it also took home the FIPRESCI jury prize (members: Ladislav Volko, Slovakia, Michael Ranze, Germany, and Rossen Spassov, Bulgaria), as well as the Youth Jury Award.

The Best Balkan Film Award was given to Burning Days [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emin Alper
scheda film] by Turkish director Emin Alper. The jury members — Kostadin Bonev (writer, director and producer), Hana Cielová (scriptwriter and festival programmer) and George Ovashvili (director, writer and producer) — gave the following rationale for their decision, pointing out the strength of the film's storytelling and its cinematic vision: “The director brings to the silver screen the real life with real problems of contemporary society not only in Turkey but also in other places. This real life is reflected in all elements of the film, including the script, the actors, or the camera work.“

A film that was awarded at CPH:DOX only a couple of days ago won the Best Documentary Award. The international jury composed of director Kate Cragg, producer Ralitsa Golemanova and festival director Ahmet Boyacioğlu awarded the moving artistic portrait Apolonia, Apolonia [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lea Glob
scheda film] by Lea Glob "for its emotional complexity, for its multi-faceted representation of women, for its embodiment of a fracturing Europe and identity, for its questions about art, artists and borders, and for its meditations on a life worth living and loss in all its forms.” A special mention was also given to the film Fragile Memory [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Igor Ivanko
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For the first time, the Young Audience award was given to a film of the newly established SFF Teen strand, and it went to Waters of Pastaza [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Portugal) by director Inês T Alves.

A total of 170 films from 53 countries were screened at the 27th Sofia International Film Festival. Repeat screenings of some titles will be available to Sofia audiences until the end of the month, and an online platform will make films available nationwide until April. The full list of awards is as follows:

Sofia City of Film Award
Red Shoes [+leggi anche:
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Special Jury Award
Cloves and Carnations [+leggi anche:
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Best Director
Vasilis Katsoupis - Inside [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Vasilis Katsoupis
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Special Mention
The Other Widow [+leggi anche:
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Malin Krastev in The Good Driver [+leggi anche:
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Best Bulgarian Short Film
Trace - Asparuh Petrov (Bulgaria)

Best Balkan Film
Burning Days [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emin Alper
scheda film] - Emin Alper (Turkey/France/Germany/Netherlands/Greece/Croatia)

Best Documentary
Apolonia, Apolonia [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lea Glob
scheda film] - Lea Glob (Denmark)

Special Mention
Fragile Memory [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Igor Ivanko
scheda film] - Igor Ivanko (Ukraine/Slovakia)

Best Bulgarian Feature Film
The Good Driver - Tonislav Hristov

FIPRESCI Award
Red Shoes - Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser

Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
Safe Place [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Juraj Lerotić
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Audience Award
The Art of Falling [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Orlin Milchev (Bulgaria)

Young Jury Award
Red Shoes - Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser

Youth Audience Award 
Waters of Pastaza [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Inês T Alves (Portugal)

The Sofia Award for Contribution to the Art of Film
Geraldine Chaplin, actress (USA)
Radoslav Spassov, cinematographer, director, writer, producer (Bulgaria)