09/12/2019 - 76 documentaries and animations were screened at the 24th edition of the Bulgarian gathering

Following the Golden Rose Film Festival, organised every October in the city of Varna, the Bulgarian National Film Center has presented this year’s crop of documentaries and animations at the Golden Rhyton Documentary and Animation Film Festival, traditionally hosted by the city of Plovdiv. The awards of the 24^th edition (29 November–6 December) were announced during a gala on Friday evening. The centre provided funding to most of the films shown at this edition.

Assen Vladimirov’s Pawn Sacrifice, a film about the peculiar destiny of Marko Markov, an anatomical pathologist involved in the German investigation of the Katyn massacre, won the Best Documentary Award, while the Best Animation Award went to Andrey Tsvetkov’s A Tree of Iron. The jury of this year’s edition was led by director Svetoslav Stoyanov, whose documentary The Last Black Sea Pirates won the Golden Rhyton at a previous edition of the festival. The other four jury members were Bulgarian artist Angel Gescheff, documentary director Maria Averina, animation director Velislava Gospodinova, and film critic and researcher Nadezhda Marinchevska.

Besides the screenings, the festival featured various press conferences with the teams of the selected films, and a round-table on Film Language and Audience Reception.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Documentary awards

Best Documentary Feature
Pawn Sacrifice - Assen Vladimirov

Jury Honourable Mention
Kalin and the Jail Team - Petko Gyulchev

Best Director
Boya Harizanova - A Feeling of Revulsion

Best Debut Feature
An Icarus from Kocherinovo - Emil Spahiyski

Plovdiv Municipality Award
What Colour Is This World - Ralitza Dimitrova

Special Mentions
Theo’s Formula - Nikolay Vasilev
Rock’n’Roll - Borislav Kolev

Animation awards

Best Animated Film
A Tree of Iron - Andrey Tsvetkov

Jury Honourable Mention
Paper Kite - Assia Kovanova

Cartoon Designer Award
Pencho Kunchev - Roses in the Night

Best Debut
The Last Day - Dalibor Rajninger

Plovdiv Municipality Award
Viola - Sotir Gelev

Special Mention
Happiness - Dimitar Dimitrov