AWARDS
GRAND PRIX
‘BESTIA‘
Chile, 2021, 15’, stop-motion
director Hugo Covarrubias
Based on true events, ‘Bestia’ explores the life of a secret police agent during the military dictatorship in Chile. Her relationship with her dog, her body, her fears and frustrations reveals a grim fracture of her mind and of the country.
SPECIAL MENTION / SHORT FILMS
‘THE GARBAGE MAN‘
Portugal,2022,11’50’’, 2D
director Laura Gonçalves
On a hot August afternoon, the family gathered at the table remembering uncle Botão: the Colonial War, emigration to France, where he lived and worked thirty years as a garbage man. Memories of each are crossed to tell the story of a man who lived a hard life through humor and fantasy, like when he returned to Belmonte, in a van full of trash, turned into a real treasure.
SPECIAL MENTION / SHORT FILMS
‘TIE‘
Portugal, 2020, 11’, 2D
director Alexandra Ramires
Under a gloomy sun, two characters with symmetrical handicaps look for adaptation.
BEST STUDENT FILM
‘WET‘
France, 2021, 6’, 3D
director Marianne Bergeonneau, Lauriane Montpert, Mélina Mandon, Cloé Peyrebrune, Elvira Taussac
During a thrilling massage, a lady is going to seduce her masseur. Through different rooms of a thermal cure, a seduction game would take place. A maze of sensation, flesh and steam which lead them to meet again
SPECIAL MENTION / STUDENT FILMS
‘GIRL IN THE WATER‘
Taiwan, 2021,7’20’’, hand drawn animation
director Shi-Rou Huang
Contemplation of torn walls and scars reminds the heroine of the ups and downs of love. The film depicts femininity and female internal time-consciousness through the convalescence of a woman’s broken heart, which is based on my personal experiences.
BEST CHILDREN’S FILM
‘THE QUEEN OF THE FOXES‘
Switzerland, 2022, 8’50’’
director Marina Rosset
In the hopes of seeing their queen smile again, a group of foxes rummage through the city’s trash, searching for all the love letters that were never sent.
SPECIAL MENTION / CHILDREN’S FILMS
‘BLACK SLIDE‘
Israel, 2021, 11’12’’, 3D
director Uri Lotan
Eviah, a young and timid kid on the brink of puberty and his best friend sneak into the Black slide, the most terrifying ride in Aqua Fun. There Eviah will gain insight to prepare him for events about to unfold at home.
BEST BULGARIAN FILM
‘FLORENTINE NIGHT‘
Bulgaria, 2022, 76’00’’,3D
director Sotir Gelev
The script is based on the works of Heinrich Heine and Gerard de Nerval. The film consists of two separate stories that form a parallel narrative in the plot. The main theme is love, as well as the difficulties and obstacles love encounters on its way.
BEST FEATURE FILM
‘BOB SPIT: WE DO NOT LIKE PEOPLE‘
Brazil, 2021, 90 ‘, stop-motion
director Cesar Cabral
Bob Spit, a comic book character, lives in a post-apocalyptic desert inside the mind of his creator, the legendary Brazilian cartoonist Angeli. When Angeli decides to kill off Bob, the old punk leaves this wasteland and faces his creator.
AWARD FOR DEBUT IN MEMORY OF NIKOLAY TODOROV ESTABLISHED BY HIS WIFE
“CENTIPEDE”
Bulgaria, 2022, 7’28’’, mixed media
director Vera Ivanova
A centipede is walking confidently and carelessly towards the top of a rose bush. Until the moment she starts to think. Wondering how exactly she is controlling all her legs, the centipede gets entangled and falls helplessly on the ground. The more she thinks, the more she gets entangled. Cannot make a single step. This is only the beginning of the tangled situations and unexpected turns, which await her on the way to the top.
AWARD OF THE UNION OF BULGARIAN ARTISTS
“THE LOVE WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT”
Bulgaria, 2022, 8’11’’, 2D
director Gospodin Nedelchev
Stuck in the falsehood of our consumer life and hypocritical empathy for fictional screen characters, we do not notice those little creatures around us who need help. We even get annoyed by them… Can we open our hearts to true love and mercy?
THE AWARD OF THE SBFD
“WAR”
Bulgaria, 2022, 6’17’’, 2D
director Dimitar Dimitrov
A little girl named WAR, with surreal abilities, grows up isolated in a foster home. Flowers wither, trees dry up, objects are set on fire by the proximity and her touch. One day WAR escapes from the orphanage, unfolding to extreme her gift, causing all sorts of disasters to humanity. When everything seems hopeless and the world is in flames and ashes, on the last unburned island, in a ray of light, WAR meets love in the face of a boy named PEACE.
Critics’ Guild Award
“The Garbage Man”
Portugal,2022,11’50’’, 2D
director Laura Gonçalves
On a hot August afternoon, the family gathered at the table remembering uncle Botão: the Colonial War, emigration to France, where he lived and worked thirty years as a garbage man. Memories of each are crossed to tell the story of a man who lived a hard life through humor and fantasy, like when he returned to Belmonte, in a van full of trash, turned into a real treasure.