Golden Rhyton 2017 Awards
The Jury at the Golden Rhyton 2017
Presided over by Pavlina Jeleva, film critic/producer
Members: Andrey Slabakov, director/writer/producer; Vihra Grigorova, artist; Vladimir Andreev, director/producer; and Nastimir Tzatchev, director/animator/producer
After watching all the films in the Competition programme, having a discussion and taking into consideration the fact that the 23rd edition of Golden Rhyton Bulgarian Documentary and Animated Film Festival unlike previous editions, includes a record-breaking number of works made in the last couple of years, unanimously united around the idea that the number of both the official and external awards should be adequate to the objective situation and made special efforts in this regard.
As a result of its work
The jury decided
To give awards as follows:
Special Mentions to:
The documentary Next Stop: Odeon Cinema, production: Studio 24; writer: Boryana Mateeva; director: Ekaterina Minkova; cinematography: Borislav Georgiev; music by Asen Avramov
‘for the spirit of the time as represented through the history of international and Bulgarian film’The documentary Good Morning, Captain!, production: Kugan; writer: Hristo Iliev – Charlie; director: Georgri Stoev – Jacky; cinematography: Antoni Stoev
‘for the vitality and optimism as a way of life’The documentary Simon vs. Fear (The Varsano Case), production: Agitprop; writer/director: Georgi Tenev; cinematography: Boris Missirkov, Georgi Bogdanov; music by Ivo Spassov
‘for the modern account of the unusual life story of Simon Varsano’The animated film 20 Kicks, production: Metamorfoza_N; writer: Dilyan Elenkov; animation/director: Dimitar Dimitrov; music by Samuel Pocreau
‘for the combination of fine poetics and modern technologies’
Plovdiv Municipality Award (an artwork) goes to:
Director Galina Kraleva for her documentary Let Me Soar Up in the Sky
‘for the emotional story of the life, career and oeuvre of director, artist, actor and animator Ivan Andonov’Director Kostadin Bonev for his documentary Uprooting
‘for compassion for the fate of Armenian people’
Best Debut Ex-aequo goes to:
Director Maria Averina for the documentary From Cremona to Cremona
‘for sensitively underscoring the difference between arts and crafts as expressed in the universal language of music’Director Tzvetan Dragnev for the documentary Village People
‘for the normal human treatment of the outcasts’Director Ivan Stoyanovich for the animated film No Way
‘for the expressive interpretation of alienation in modern life’ Director/animator Katia Mankova for the cartoon Uncle Parrot’s Rhymes: Russia
‘for the affectionate insight into children’s world’
Best Animator
In the person of Rositsa Raleva for A Travelling Country
‘for an inventive and stylised representation’
Best Documentary Director Ex-aequo goes to:
Director Youlia Kantcheva for In the Mirror
‘for skilfully weaving different lives into a tapestry representing our world’Director Maria Nikolova for Daga: Stories in Pictures
‘for the aesthetic and sincere human insight into an art phenomenon unique to Bulgaria’
Jury Special Mention Ex-aequo goes to:In the person of directors Catherine Bernstein, Assen Vladimirov for the documentary The Bookseller
‘for their delicate approach to a critical historical period through a brilliant representation, perfect rhythm and modern flavour’In the person of director/artist/animator Nikolay Todorov for the cartoon Made in Brachycera
‘for the exquisite vision and putting a tremendous amount of effort in building a political satire ‘
Golden Rhyton for Best Animated Film to All So Much Hogwash, production: Kancelaria Film Ltd; writer: Hristo Ganev; director/artist: Anri Koulev
‘for the conceptual and artistic vision and the universal message’
Golden Rhyton for Best Documentary to the documentary The Good Postman, production: Making Movies OY (Finland), Еlemag Pictures (Germany), Soul Food (Bulgaria)
for the detailed and thorough following of the evolution of the protagonist in the complex and contradictory contemporary world’
ThE Jury gave additional external awards provided as follows:
by BioPharma Laboratories for Best Screenplay
to writer Dimitar Stoyanovich for the documentary From the Grateful Descendants
‘for the brilliant story about a remarkable Bulgarian’
to writer Vladi Kirov for the documentary Uprooting
‘for the insightful study on the dramatic vicissitudes of the history of a nation that has suffered so much’
by the International Fair Plovdiv for Best Cinematography
to director of photography Plamen Gelinov of the documentaries Village People and In the Mirror
‘for artistic interpretation and stylistic diversity combined with exquisite sensitivity’
by the Regional Administration of Plovdiv Region for A Socially Significant Subject to the documentary From the Grateful Descendants, production: Argo Film; writer: Dimitar Stoyanovich; director: Stephan Komandarev; director of photography: Vesselin Hristov
and an Honourable Mention for high creative achievements and lifetime contribution to the development of Bulgarian documentary film to Maya Vaptsarova in recognition of her participation in the film An Epoch about the life and work of Nikola Vaptsarov.
by Solis Ltd for A Socially Significant Figure
to Kostadinka Kuneva, a heroine admired for her courage and qualities as represented in the documentary Her Confession, production: Cinemascope – I. Nichev
by the Union of Plovdiv Artists for Best Animator
to Anna Haralampieva, Virginia Ivanova for the cartoon The Sibyls’ Brawl, production: Koulev Film Production
by Advantis co Ltd for the Performance by an Actor in the live-action and animation hybrid Paradise Apple, production: Art 47
to actor Luben Chatalov
by Advantis co Ltd for the inventive use of an innovative animation technique
to Radostina Neykova for the cartoon An Ugly Fairytale, production: Korund – X
by VMRO for the documentary Bulgarian Battle Marches, production: Kadiak Film
The following awards were also presented at the 23rd edition of Golden Rhyton Bulgarian Documentary and Animated Film Festival 2017:
The Award of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers goes to the documentary From Cremona to Cremona in the person of director Maria Averina
The Critics Guild Award, UBF goes to The Bookseller by Catherine Bernstein, Assen Vladimirov
and to the animated film All So Much Hogwash by Anri Koulev
The Bulgarian National Film Archive Award goes to The Bookseller in the person of Catherine Bernstein, Assen Vladimirov
‘For their artistry and the inventiveness in recreating an important moment of Bulgaria’s history.’
The Award of Academica 21 Association of the Academic Screen Arts lecturers went to the documentary Offline in the person of the writer, director, director of photography and the producer
and to the documentary The Good Postman in the person of the director Tonislav Hristov.
